Ghost Cats and the Phantom Mouse

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Pamela Knudsen

In the summer of 2018, when I met my realtor at the circa 1922 cottage I was considering for my next home, despite its run-down condition, I was struck by its enchanted quality. It was alive with positive vibes. I felt welcomed by an unseen greeting committee. I signed the lease, excited about a new beginning living in a vintage cottage.

Enchanted Cottage shortly after moving in.

After moving in with Bobcat and Lexington, often, while sitting on the sofa at night reading, I would look over my shoulder thinking I saw one of the cats sauntering by; yet, seconds later would glance into the bedroom to see both cats sound asleep.

One late afternoon I was sitting at my desk and saw movement from my peripheral vision coming from the bookcase next to the French doors. I turned to see a mouse scurrying from the bookcase to underneath the hutch. It was quick and almost looked like a shadow, but well defined. I thought I imagined it when Bobcat came bolting from the bedroom making a beeline for the hutch. He was trying to get under it, going from one side to the next, fervently meowing. I opened the front door in an attempt to get the mouse out of the house. As I tried to coax my enthusiastic cat away from the hutch so the mouse could run outside—Bobcat came out from the side of the hutch and nonchalantly sashayed back into the bedroom. And the mouse was nowhere to be found.

Bobcat sees a ghost mouse!

About a year ago I was awoken at 2:00 a.m. by the sound of labored breathing coming from the living room. I turned on the bedside table lamp, cautiously got up and went into the direction of the sound with Samantha by my side. The sound shifted from the entryway to the sofa. Samantha poked her head under the sofa as if trying to figure out where it was coming from. I walked around the sofa then went back to the entryway with Samantha shadowing me. I concluded that the sound was a suffering animal under the house. I said a prayer for it then went back to bed. I awoke again, thinking it was morning because light was filtering from the living room into my bedroom, yet it was 4:00 a.m. Perplexed, I went into the living room to find a set of lights had been turned on—lights that I never use because they are too bright. I got goose bumps and wondered if the noise we heard was actually something otherworldly.

Mama, what is that creepy noise?

Later that morning, I looked under the house to find no animal. Even if it had gotten out alive, the crawl space where it would have been was not in the same location of the sound, which emanated from the location of the foundation. I started to believe that the enchanted cottage was a refuge for lost souls.

Lately, the cottage has been devoid of phantom mice and ghostly cats. And I’ve not awoken to spooky sounds and lights with a mind of their own.

Maybe the spirits of Bobcat and Lexington are keeping the spooks away.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Mama, you aren’t seriously going to wear this hat?

A Catnip Christmas Eve

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Pamela Knudsen

‘Twas the eve before Christmas and the cottage was stirring,
With the muffled sounds of Samantha Jo purring.

Cat Lady was busy making cookies and tea,
When Samantha meowed, “Any catnip for me?”

The fluffy floof sniffed as she searched all around,
For the aromatic herb that made her act like a clown.

Cat Lady let out a laugh as she scooped-up her cat,
To guide her to where the cat-weed was at.

But Queen Sassy Pants wriggled and jumped to the floor,
And dashed across the hardwood to where she spied,
A small wood box containing what she’d been denied.

The scent of the leaves she inhaled with glee,
She wriggled and pranced and strutted her stuff,
Cat Lady cracked-up and said, “I think you’ve had enough!”

With one last whiff of the weed and a grand leaping motion,
Samantha sprinted through space like she’d swigged a magic potion.

Now the catnip spell waned as the cookies were eaten,
But the magic remained, as that can’t be beaten.

I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and Joyous New Year!

I’m grateful for your continued readership, support, and for being there for me throughout my cancer journey and now, my road to recovery.

XOXO

Bathtub Dwelling Critters and Other Creatures

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Pamela Knudsen

Going from living in a condo in the canyon to a cottage by the sea, despite the positive move, has tested my temperament. Some of the characteristics that I love about this place can be exasperating. During the summer months after the move, the ocean breeze blew in dust particles from dirt yard, even with the windows shut because these vintage French windows and doors don’t completely seal when closed. I felt like all I did was dust, sweep and vacuum cobwebs. Let it go, I told myself after feeling the calluses building up in my palms. Take a lesson from Lexington and Bobcat, who delighted in rolling around in the dirt yard after clawing what little dried-up patches of grass existed.

Great, now I have to dust off the cats…

Before the dust, dirt and cobwebs got on my last nerve; there were the mysterious black specks in the bathtub. At first glance I thought the specks were dirt and washed them down the drain. But the “dirt” returned; black specks scattered on the tub floor, some stuck to the inner sides of the tub and a few scattered on the glass block wall facing the tub. Before each shower, I washed the black specks away, but they always came back. I started to suspect that the black specks were not dirt, but what else could they be? My friend Wendy came over to help me unpack on day four of living in the cottage. I showed her the black specks in the bathtub. Wendy examined the specks and after a few seconds announced: “One moved!” “WHAT?” I put on my glasses for a closer look to see that the round specks had tiny legs. Lovely…I had bathtub bugs. My lease had a legally mandated disclosure about bed bugs, but said nothing about bathtub bugs.

But the joys of cottage living far outweigh the frustrations, and the frustrations have strengthened my character.

Bobcat watching the bunny from a distance

The yard is now a verdant meadow of grass and three-leaf clovers, and a stop along the way for rabbits looking for something to nibble. One brave rabbit hopped its way up to the porch. The cats, who’d never before seen a rabbit, were noses to the window, fixated on the cute little creature.

Melodious chirps and tweets of songbirds in the trees and perched on the old picket fence posts serenade me every morning. The other day a red-tailed hawk landed on the lattice entry gate to the side yard patio, looked me in the eye through the windows then gracefully flew off.

And at night, I fall asleep to the eerie screech of a barn owl who lives in one of the king palm trees. These furry and feathered visitors arouse the cats’ hunting instincts, keeping them entertained. And I feel like we’ve moved to an enchanted forest from a classic Disney movie.

As for the bathtub bugs…they are gone for good. Thank you, Terminix.