Domesticated cats, like wild cats have a natural instinct to hide when they are sick as a way of protecting their vulnerable selves from becoming prey.  Over the years, I’ve located my cats in dark secluded places, usually a closet, when they are not feeling well; or worse, when they are ready to depart from one of their nine lives.

So, recently when I found Lexington curled up in the closet in the midst of my boot collection, languid and sleepy-eyed, I was not altogether relieved to have found him after a desperate search before dashing off to a meeting. I was concerned, especially after finding him in my closet, shut off from the world again and again over the following weeks.

Otherwise, he seemed just fine—eating, playing, pontificating; yet, why, oh why, would he suddenly take to the closet on a regular basis.

My worry gave way to curiosity when Topper found a new place to hide:

In the closet cozied up to the cowboy boots.

Cowcats?  Puss in Boots?  “I want to be alone?”  I’ll never know what drew the cats to the boots in the closet.  I guess I’m the one in the dark now, but I’m no longer concerned about their well-being.  They are purrrfectly healthy cats–unpredictable and mysterious.