Cat-astrophy

Our cats Rupert and Phoebe are around 3 1/2 to 4 years old. We can only estimate their ages because we adopted them from the Brampton animal shelter as strays. Because they are still quite young they both have lots of
energy and playfulness. At least a couple of times a day they take turns
chasing each other throughout the house. We have a four level side split
home and the cats will race from the basement to the top of the house, one
chasing the other. Most of the time it appears to be all in good fun, although
on occasion there will be wrestling and hissing and arched backs and laid
back ears. We don't interfere unless the growls begin. Generally it's Phoebe
who gets upset (or fed up), and Rupert who regards her in wide eyed surprise when she does.

A week ago DH and I were watching the evening news while eating dinner in the den. The cats were having one of their charges through the house. They'd flown up the basement stairs and torn around the corner and up more stairs to the main level of the house. We could trace their progress through the house from the sound of their paws pounding the floors above our heads. They ripped through the house and then we heard an ominous "tinkle" sound that had us both on our feet and hurrying up the stairs at once. In the living room a pair of nonchalant cats were strolling through the room as if they had not a concern in their guilty little souls. But the table cloth on the dining room table was all askew and one of my Partylite candle sticks was on its side, the crystal candle holder broken into many pieces.

Usually when Rupert chases Phoebe and she wants to escape she leaps onto the dining room table, runs across it and leaps into the dining room window, balancing on the narrow ledge and glaring back at Rupert who skids to a halt on the table and is forced to give up the chase. That's what they probably expected to happen that night. We don't usually leave a table cloth on the table, but I'd put one on for Thanksgiving, and so I imagine the cats landed on it and couldn't put on the brakes like they normally do.

So, since we got them about three and a half years ago they have managed to break 1) a vase/ornament holder which was a gift 2) the chimney from a bedroom lamp which was a gift from my parents - we were able to replace the chimney at Home Depot 3) a spun glass, two foot tall snowman which was a gift and 4) the Partylite candle chimney which was - yes - a gift. All these pieces were probably victims of the cat chasing cat stampede described above.

Now in all the years (around 11) that we had our first cat Eponine (Eppie) we never lost a thing that I can recall. I guess when there are two cats in a household there's more likely to be these sorts of...er....accidents? All I can say is it's a good thing that they're cute!!