lbechtle@uceng.UC.EDU (laurie bechtler) (11/10/90)
I think it was bad luck to bring up the subject of how long parakeets can live. I never had a cat. I like cats (and dogs, and horses, etc.) but as a student in a small apartment a bird was just the most appropriate. But sometimes for fun I would let the neighbors cat in, to play with. I was always careful to lock Mickey, my parakeet that I've had and loved for 7 years, in his cage. The cat showed little interest in the cage. Wednesday night I was at school, but my boyfriend stopped by my apartment to pick up my car. He called me on the phone, and we chatted a little. He said he had let the cat in, but don't worry, Mickey was in his cage. OK, I trusted him. But why didn't I ask if the cage door was LOCKED? Next thing I heard was the phone crashing to the floor. When Karl came back to the phone he was crying "Oh God, Laurie, I'm sorry...". Mickey didn't know what a cat was. He came out of the cage, and quicker that you can imagine the cat nailed Micky in flight. Broke his neck; at least he never knew what hit him. Those of you who know cats know that you can't trust them, and that they're so quick you can't catch them. Several times before, I had walked in with the cat, after peeking in to see that Mickey was in his cage -- but in the 10 seconds required to walk to the cage to close the door (it's almost always open), the same scene could have happened before. So I don't blame Karl, really, it could have happened to me too. It was just always wishful thinking that such an accident couldn't occur. Still, if I'd only asked Karl to close the cage door...If I'd only gone home earlier...If I'd never made friends with the damn cat in the first place... We're going to bury him on Saturday, under some trees in the back yard. He was always looking out the window, calling to the birds outside... I hope I feel better after a few days.