COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 10, 2016 Squirrely Situation! I t’s evident that Biscuit’s in- juries have mended and her energy has returned as demon- strated in her latest wild adven- tures! “While quietly reading the Cottage Grove Sentinel news- paper,” said Linda, “I heard Bis- cuit’s purr-culiar muffl ed meow (mouth full of something craw- ly, winged, feathered or furred that I didn’t want to touch) an- nouncing, ‘Mom look! I have a gift for you!’” Linda jumped up to make sure Biscuit would not release any “wiggling somethings” in her house, but she was too late. Biscuit “presented” her with an uninjured squirrel and it went “nuts”. It took off running! Its adrenaline was running over- time as it raced into her living room. “Biscuit took chase after my ‘gift’,” said Linda. “The com- motion caught the attention of Biscuit’s calico sister, Missy. Now I had one running squir- rel, two chasing cats and me fol- lowing up the rear into the living room. ‘Funniest Home Videos’ would have had a fi eld day with our ‘episode’!” Linda recently had her living room carpet replaced with lami- nated fl oors, which has no trac- tion for speeding pets and wild- life! It made for a fabulous “Slip and Slide” with feet fl ying like a three-legged tap dancer. “Calamity reigned as I tried to get the cats,” said Linda, “the cats tried to get the squirrel, and the squirrel tried to get away! I grabbed a towel to catch, hold and carry the squirrel — but he had other things in mind.” The focus of everyone’s at- tention sped between the cats and over to the brick fi replace, which gave the squirrel solid traction. He scooted up the fi replace, leapt onto the china hutch, then dropped behind it to a “safe” zone — upsetting the cats’ plans! Their “chase toy” was now securely behind the hutch, and it’s written some- where in stone, “No one and no cat can reach anything behind the hutch”! Without a whis-purr, the cats telepathically took up guard posts on both sides of the hutch. Fast forward hours: Biscuit was cat napping when Missy heard the squirrel climb down the fi replace bricks. The chase was on again! The squirrel saw Missy so he raced around the corner. Linda was “... hoping he ran out the open front door.” But instead, the squirrel headed upstairs and ran nose-to-nose with her third kitty, Kiki, a 14-year-old black cat, who was sleeping on the landing. To avoid a cat-astrophe, the squirrel dived off the landing, while a bewildered Kiki tried to fi gure out if this is an exciting dream or fur-real. Linda then saw the end of the squirrel’s tail between the rails, but before she could help the poor squirrel, it ran down the stairs. Linda lost sight of it and fur-vently hoped that it ran out the front door. Instead, the squirrel ran into her open coat closet. Her excit- ed cat posse corralled it, taking up vigilant paw-sitions. Linda then had a brilliant idea! She removed the cats and sprinkled a trail of nuts and seeds from the closet to the open front door ... and squir- rel freedom! Unfortunately, the only ones that saw the open door were the mosquitoes, who joined the crazy household and landed on Linda’s arms for an uninvited snack. Linda closed the door, solving one of her two “guest” problems. Exhausted, thankfully, female, felines and squirrel slept peacefully that night. “The next morning,” said Linda, “while drinking a cup of coffee, I was wondering what the day would bring when I heard our overnight guest chat- tering. I ran to his rescue and chased the cats away. Then I used a broom to carefully check the closet fl oor for the squir- rel. Suddenly, I remembered that squirrels climb trees and it could just as easily be sitting up high looking at me. I quickly backed away, opened the front door and checked the Oregon “nutty food” Trail before return- ing to my coffee. Shortly thereafter, the squirrel safely sprinted outside. I closed the door, wishing our little visi- tor well, and hoped that was the last we’d see of him.” Surely, the squirrel thought the same about Linda’s ‘crazy cat house’! Biscuit, who never led a bor- ing life, must have missed all the activity, because the next morning she carried in two birds in her mouth at the same time, and a mouse the following morning! Well, that explains how “poor” little Biscuit is doing — back to her old kitty self! Paws-ibly her mysterious earlier injuries were from a neighborhood mob of squirrels, mice and birds giving her some of her own medicine! As for Linda, she has lived through enough ‘crazy cat’ ad- ventures to pen a series of chil- dren’s books, “Biscuit’s Adven- tures”! Selfi e by Linda and Biscuit Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales readers inquired how “poor” Biscuit, Linda’s kitty, featured in a “Small Town Springs To Ac- tion - To Help Injured Pet”, is doing. Don’t let Biscuit’s innocent face fool you! Readers should have asked, “How is poor Linda doing?” They pinpoint and locate what the feline is hearing. Their ears appear to twitch as they rotate listening to noises that are im- purr-ceptible to human ears. DOG FACTS: Randy, author of “From Crap- py, to Happy” as seen in the movie, “Eat, Pray, Love” and a Tips ‘n’ Tales reader in Califor- nia writes, “It is not safe to give dogs stuffed toys intended for children. Children’s toys often contain fl ame retardants/chemi- cals to retard bacterial growth that can be toxic to dogs who chew or swallow them.” angelscribe@msn.com “Follow” Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ PetTipsandTales Adopt Loving Pets www.PetFinder.com Humane Society for Neuter/ Spay Assistance Program. (541) 942-2789 $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM Our Community Newspaper since 1889 Deadly Dog Toys! http://www.snopes.com/crit- ters/crusader/stuffedtoys.asp TIPS CAT FACTS: Each cat ear contains 20 mus- cles that work similar to radar. 7A Tell us your crazy pet adven- ture! Subscribe and $AVE Birch Avenue Dental Park W. McClung, DDS • Tammy L. McClung, DDS Where dentistry is our profession but people are our focus WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS! Check out our exclusive Birch Avenue Dental Program that provides all the rewards of dental insurance without the headaches. For more information please call 541-942-2471 or visit us at www.birchavenuedental.com Another dental visit? Turns out, you have better things to do with your time. We know your time is valuable. That's why we've invested in CEREC technology that allows for a faster experience when you need crowns, fillings or veneers. With CEREC, there's usually no need for a temporary and return visit. Everything is done in one visit, in about an hour - leaving more time for whatever is important to you. Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions • Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV) Cottage Grove Sentinel + Cottage Grove Dental Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS 350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies) 942-7934 CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems. "As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it." — Mahatma Gandhi