In our last exciting episode, Noble Fur rode across the country with me, a journey of nearly 2,500 miles from Georgia to Idaho. I had arranged to rent a house in the resort town of McCall. Before unpacking my truck, I introduced Noble Fur to her “summer home.” She quickly approved, given that it was roomy, and it was not moving down the highway at 70 miles per hour.
Every nook and cranny of the house had to be explored. Potential napping spots had to be tested.
We arrived in McCall on the July 4th weekend. About a week later, an unusually cold weather system arrived. The temperature stayed in the 40s all day while rain poured down. I built a nice fire in the wood stove and moved my camp chair to a strategic location. Of course, as soon as I got up to get something from the kitchen, the chair had a new occupant.
Indoors, there was plenty of exploring to do.
Outdoors, there was a whole new world to see. Noble Fur really wanted to run free like she had done back home. I taped a note on the front door for all visitors to see and heed:
DON’T LET THE CAT ESCAPE!
And she never did escape. She became accustomed to the harness and leash to the point where she’d purr while I snapped it in place. She knew it meant a trip outside. I rigged up a rope to give her more room to move around.
The squirrels were none too happy to see this interloper watching their every move.
The woodshed was one of Noble Fur’s favorite hangouts — because it was a squirrel hangout. The squirrels stashed hundreds of pine cones in the firewood, so that they could munch on pine seeds when other food was scarce.
Taking her on a actual “walk” was quite the experience. She would sniff the rocks and bushes for a long time, then sprint to another location, and sniff for a few more minutes. She always wanted to explore the neighbors’ yards and houses, and I had to pull her in another direction to avoid a trespassing incident.
Okay, let’s go back indoors, to check on Noble Fur’s favorite indoor activities.
More Noble Fur diaries:
A Christmas Cat Story
Noble Fur joins sekritarmy
Noble Fur, Road Warrior, Part 1