Earlier today, much to my bemusement, I discovered paw prints in my bathtub.

My first reaction was incredulity: Were those really paw prints? Couldn't possibly be so! I went so far in this ridiculous exercise to carry the cat over and compare. Yup, paw prints. Mimi paw prints, to be specific.

So then, there are a couple of questions. First, how did she get into the bathtub? It is higher off the ground than she is when standing on her back legs, so she couldn't see in if she tried. The edge is round, not flat, so there is no stable place for her to perch. And the only prints were on the bottom anyway. So clearly she jumped from the bathroom floor into the middle of the bathtub. A clean high-jump. Such athleticism for a cat who has spent many happy sprawled hours being called shaaaaaaammmmmmmmuuuuuuuuuu for her distinctly unathletic build.

The question above is closely related to the question "how did she get out??" I assume the same answer applies. Again, no paw prints on the side of the tub.

Second, why did she get into the bathtub? This I won't even try to answer. Who knows why she does what she does? The only motivation I understand is when she greets me as I come home--she's hungry and wants attention. That's clear. The rest of the time...I don't pretend to understand.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, what the heck was she walking in that she left black paw prints on the (dry) bathtub surface? No traces of cat litter, no actual residue beyond the prints. It looked like she'd walked across an inkpad, high-jumped into the bathtub, high-jumped out of the bathtub, wiped her paws, and continued on her merry way. There are no prints anywhere else in the apartment. My bathroom is far from anything that would dirty her paws, and she's an indoor cat.

My only explanation is that she was hanging out under the bathtub (it's the old fashioned kind with feet). She was probably close to the side that is against the wall, and therefore pretty far away from my swiffer-reach. And then she got in the bathtub, jumped out onto the mat (thereby cleaning her paws off) and continued on her way.

But jeez...

Sorry for the long pet story, I know there is often nothing more boring than people telling long anecdotes about their children or pets, but I thought this was worth it.


- posted by Heidi @ 4:12 PM