And Then There Was One

Well, that didn't take long.

I spent this morning working at Home Campus instead of being glued to my computer at home. I had a student who wanted to talk to me, and given that this student had a lot of ground to make up, I figured this was something I should encourage. And since I was there already, with access to computers and everything, it just made sense to stay there and work instead of going back home.

I got a lot done. It's amazing how much you can get done when you're never sure who is going to walk in on you when you should be working.

Afterward I picked up the girls from their classes at Mas Macho President Elementary, and we stopped in at the nearest food emporium, as Lauren was jonesing for some Gatorade. I know, I don't understand it either, but she likes the stuff and it's at least marginally healthy. It also comes in a variety of pleasing colors these days, so you can match it to your decor.

It was when we got home that we first realized that Something Was Wrong. The hamster cage was in pieces on the floor, surrounded by a three-inch thick pile of bedding and two sleeping cats who had seen my absence as an opportunity to take care of some business.

It's the subtle things that give crimes away.

We had placed the hamster cage on top of the craft bins, and we figured that as long as the cage door was fastened things would be okay. We didn't count on our cats doing a full Incredible Hulk on us and throwing the cage down to the floor so hard it bounced. I must check up on what exactly we feed those cats, and feed them something else.

Kim eventually found one of the hamsters (Vee? Hammy? Who can tell?) hiding in a corner, but so far the other one has not turned up. On the one hand, it is all too easy to imagine what has happened to poor old Hammy. Or Vee. Or whoever. On the other hand, though, it is rare that our cats eat entire animals, and we have found no hamster bits anywhere so far.

So we're keeping the cats outside as much as we can for a while, and keeping our eyes and ears open for any skittering little feet. In the meantime, Kim has placed Hammy (or Vee, or whoever) back in his little cage, and bungeed it to the craft bin cabinet so that the cats can't dislodge it anymore. You do what you have to.

Ah, Hammy! Or Vee! Or whoever! We hardly knew ye.