They had ripped my favorite painting to shreds.
There were claw marks in the paint.
And I came with a small (but loud, attention seeking) dog.
Mitchell Bowser
My dog would never bite, would never growl, would never cause any trouble.
But hes not used to other animals, either.
He grew up as an only child.
He was never socialized with other pets.
So he stays downstairs and the cats stay upstairs.
They cant handle his excitement.
He moves too fast.
He makes too much noise.
They want nothing to do with him.
And that works perfectly fine for me and my boyfriend, because its better that the cats stay upstairs.
There are too many valuable items in the kitchen and living room that they could smash and shatter.
No, its better that they stay upstairs.
Thats why its so damn annoying that theyve suddenly decided to sneak downstairs in the middle of the nighteverynight.
Its a new thing.
It hasnt been a problem before.
But lately, its all they want to do.
We never catch them, of course.
They move like ninjas.
But whenever we checked the kitchen, without fail, there was a mess.
Puddles on the floor from the sink overflowing.
Broken glass from a shattered vase.
And my poor pup would be cowering in his bed, head under his blanket, scared to death.
They had ripped my favorite painting to shreds.
There were claw marks in the paint.
Honestly, I didnt understand it either.
My dog was a light sleeper.
He usually woke up whenever he heard the cats.
He usually yipped and wagged until they ran away.
But he hadnt made a peep lately.
Maybe it wasnt the cats, my boyfriend said.
I shook my head.
The dog couldnt have done half of those things.
Ithasto be the cats.
Baby gates were useless.
The cats could leap right over them.
We even put the dog in a crate for a few nights, just in casehemade the mess.
That night, around three AM, we heard a crash.
There was no way the cats had done anything.
I pushed aside the screen and crept into the kitchen.
The dog was in his crate, covers pulled over him, terrified.
He hadnt done anything, either.
But the kitchen was a mess.
It was worse than any other night.
There was a plate shattered on the floor.
The fridge door was swung open.
The coffee pot was turned on.
There were even muddy footprints on the floor.
We checked the doors, but they were bolted.
The windows were locked, too.
We even checked our security cameras, but it hadnt picked up anything.
As far as we could tell, no one had broken inside.
I dont know what the hell had happened that night or any of the other nights before then.
All I know is that I immediately called someone to come and sage the house.
And we havent heard a peep since.
