Sunday, June 22, 2014

Another Week in Bend

 

We are still in Bend, Oregon, enjoying the outdoor activities and breweries. This past week we hiked from Lava Island Falls along the Deschutes River,

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got sleeted on while mountain biking on the Phil’s trail system, did a couple more rides there on warmer days, went to see Marc Cohn (from Walking in Memphis fame) in concert at the intimate Tower Theater, and tried some more local brews. So far Crux and 10 Barrel are our favorites.

We’ve been seeing a black and white cat wandering around the pasture we’re parked in, and the other morning it apparently noticed Elvis sitting in the dash and came up for a closer look. They seemed to be having a staring contest, and when Sophie realized what Elvis was looking at she ran up on the dash. It startled Elvis so much that he went berserk and attacked Sophie. It was like watching Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

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He literally transformed into a demon cat in an instant. The two of them went tearing around the rig hissing and swatting, knocked a full cup of coffee onto the iPad keyboard, ran across the stove which had a couple bagels sitting on it. They and the pan went flying, we couldn’t get the cats separated, and I was hysterical. Jim was able to grab Sophie and get her in the bedroom but I couldn’t keep Elvis out quick enough and he was right after her again. At last we got Elvis locked in the bedroom, and proceeded to clean up the mess. Coffee was all over the table, chair, and carpet. What a mess! And the following day we had to order a new keyboard for the iPad.

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We were ready right then and there to take them to the Humane Society. In all our years of cat ownership it was the first time anything like like this has ever happened, and we don’t want it to happen again. Part of the problem is we live in such a small space, and the other part is that although Elvis is adorable and sweet, he is probably the least intelligent cat we’ve ever had. I did some research on fear-induced aggression in cats, and I read that it is not an uncommon problem when cats see a strange one outside of their home. Guess we’ve been lucky this never happened before.

I also read that it can cause irreparable damage to the cats relationships with each other, but by that evening things were back to normal and Elvis and Sophie are best buddies again. We put our sunshade in the windshield so the cat can’t see in, and so far a few days have passed and although we’ve seen the black and white cat out in the pasture, it hasn’t come close. Maybe all the commotion scared it enough that it never wants to come near us again. I hope!

We had one other episode that we stopped before it started, when our friend’s sweet cat came up to Jim near our door. Jim was talking to and petting him, and with the windows open our cats could hear him. When Jim came back in Elvis got all worked up and Sophie started making a weird almost howling noise to warn him off. Jim put Sophie back in the bedroom for a few minutes, the other cat left, and Elvis settled down.

As much as we love these cats, if someone were to come along who could give them a bigger, better home, we would gladly give them up for the sake of our sanity.

These marmots live in the rocks in our “yard”. Elvis isn’t bothered by them. Guess since they aren’t cats he doesn’t think they pose a threat.

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Yesterday we took a drive and a couple short hikes along the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway, but we took so many photos I will save that for another post. Here’s a little preview.

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18 comments:

  1. What do you expect from someone named Elvis?..."I'm all shook up...hmm hmm huuummmm, oooh yeah!" If you will be in Washington soon, maybe you can buy them some "cat nip." ;-)

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  2. What a disaster! I'm afraid I wouldn't be as patient as you were. We found a "no kill" pet house to take our two cats and keep them till adopted out to good homes. they were able to stay together as one person took both. the cost was to make a donation to the shelter for food.
    Box Canyon Mark

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  3. I had a cat once that would go berserk like that every once in a while for no apparent reason. It's kind of scary.

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  4. I am happy to have 2 short-legged Corgis - when they get upset, they cannot jump very high to cause the mess the cats created! Have you considered marmots for furry companions?? Just kidding

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    1. Beautiful photo of Cascade Lake! Can't wait for next post and more amazing photos. Have a great week.

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  5. Love the beautiful photo of Cascade Lake. Can't wait for more pics. Have a great week.

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  6. Love the beautiful photo of Cascade Lake. Can't wait for more pics. Have a great week.

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  7. My kitty doesn't do an Elvis, thank God, but she can get rambunctious and naughty, doing things she knows she's not supposed to do. For those times I have a spray bottle filled with water that does wonders to cool her down. Just the sound of my hand gripping the trigger will usually get her to cease whatever she's doing bad. A harmless deterrent that always works. :)

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  8. What stunning natural beauty surrounds us here. Fabulous photos!

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  9. Trying to break up a cat fight inside your RV must have been really fun. Trade them straight across for the two marmots.

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  10. Wow that does sound very scary. I've only had one cat who adopted us and she was just wonderful her entire life. As a child my father would not allow cats only dogs. Maybe having one rather than two is the answer but wow coffee everywhere and a new keyboard. Glad you were in Bend where it was easy to find. I'd never find one here. Love the marmots picture. So cute. But then so are Sophie and Elvis.

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  11. What a bizarre personality change came over Elvis! I feel for your plight but can't offer a single suggestion to help. Fingers crossed he doesn't see any other cats!

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  12. I think we would stay a while in Bend as well, it just seems to have everything in such a lovely setting. Years ago my cat was asleep on my son's bed and the dog didn't see her. When dog jumped on bed it startled cat and it was ON! Cat went after dog (who was twice the size of cat) and chased and attacked all over the house. Dog was traumatized and once we finally got a towel around cat and calmed down I couldn't believe the intensity of cat's behavior. Dog was afraid of cats after that - all cats. However cat never acted like that again and they just kept their distance. Elvis may be a little stir crazy and need a bigger place. It's so hard to tell.......

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  13. So if we found a home for the cats in the Seattle area would that entice you to come visit us?

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  14. So weird about the cats freaking out. Maybe you should adopt that St Bernard puppy. Ha!

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  15. Some how I skipped this post. What a stoey about the cats. Elvis was so focused that I am sure he felt that Sophie was the other cat when she jumped up and he was being attacked. At least you know he can defend himself...not sure that helps:) While I miss my last cat, it was a blessing that he passed a few months before we went full time. Not having any peys makes life so simple. I carry dog treats now and talk to other park dogs for my animal fix. Works great!

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  16. One of our cats reacts this way to strange humans. We keep telling people not to put their hands out to him but they never listen. He starts making that weird noise in his throat the minute we get to the vet's office. Needless to say we go as little as possible, and found a vet who can handle him. The last vet wanted to sedate him for everything which was ridiculous. Needless to say the cats will not be joining us when we go full-time in the rv, we're hoping they will have passed on by that time as all three of them are over 10 years old now.

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