Cat on a Hot Ceramic Stovetop

That damn cat. I had just gotten into bed last night when my mom called to tell me Scout jumped up onto a burner on her flat-top stove right after mom had taken a pot of soup off. She yelped and jumped down, and mom was convinced she had sustained serious injuries.

"She's not my cat anymore!" I wanted to yell into the receiver, but we both know that Scout will always be my cat. The only difference is she now lives at mom's house and doesn't recognize me anymore. But when it comes down to who is still resonsible for the cat's overall health and well-being, well, that'd still be me.

We had Scout trained to not get on our tables or our stove while we had her. Who wants to deal with cat hair and kitty butt on your dining room table? When she was a kitten we shook cans of pennies at her whenever she got on a counter or a table, and she learned. But it didn't take long for my mom to unlearn her.

I suggested future stovetop discipline in the form of a water bottle of a can of pennies.

"But I don't want to have to be mean to her."

Okaaaaay...it's better for her to fry herself?

While mom was fretting, I told her to check Scout's paws for blisters. This is easier said than done since Scout thinks if you touch her paws you're getting ready to clip claws, but somehow mom managed to rule out blistering.

"Well, if you don't see any blisters, mom, and if you can get her to walk over to you, then I would say she's OK."

"Oh, she just jumped up on the kitchen table, so I guess she's alright."

Greaaaaat. Scout's allowed to get on the kitchen table. I'll be thinking of that the next time Ainsley empties her McDonald's fries onto the table and starts eating them.

I told mom to keep an eye on her and to call me back if she thought she had really burned herself or seemed to be in pain; when the phone rang half an hour later, just after I had dozed off, I was ready to throw on clothes and go to the kitty emergency room.

"I just wanted you to know that she jumped up on my bed and went to sleep, so she really is fine. I didn't want you to worry."

Gee, thanks, mom. Because hearing the phone ring at 11pm while I'm sleeping really puts my mind at ease. I'll be able to get a great night's sleep now.

I did manage to sleep, but darned if I haven't been worried about Scout all morning. I know I'll be calling at lunch today to make sure she's not limping around the house.

Once a kitty mom, always a kitty mom.