It wasn’t merely the pink puffs that made her nervous.
It was the strange scraps of cloth and paper that made up the cat’s “present.” She knew she’d seen those colors and patterns before, but she couldn’t place them. She couldn’t believe what her cat had done when she eventually discovered the truth.
Amanda Keppings loved animals, and fostering them brought her so much joy.
Finding a previously discarded pet their forever home warmed Amanda’s heart. While surfing adoption websites one day, she came across an especially compelling case that shattered her heart.
The cat was named Phoenix and to say that he had a difficult life was an understatement.
Phoenix suffered from a plethora of health issues. On top of that, he’d been bounced around from one family to the next, with no one willing to commit to his adoption. This broke Amanda’s heart, and she knew that she needed to help him.
Soon after Amanda found out about Phoenix, he joined her family. He was uncomfortable and hesitant to accept Amanda’s love at first.
Amanda, on the other hand, was a seasoned pro when it came to making animals feel at ease. It wasn’t long before the tiny gentleman was purring in her lap as she was watching TV. Phoenix, however, began to exhibit a strange tendency 5 months after Amanda adopted him.
As “presents,” some cats brought home killed mice or birds, to obtain bragging rights about their nighttime skills. Amanda, on the other hand, saw that Phoenix would bring in fabric remnants. Amanda thought that it was very strange.
The gifts would range from random string to shoelaces. Shortly after this habit started, Phoenix started bringing a different kind of present home.
When Amanda first saw it. it looked like her floor was covered in cotton candy puffs.
But when she got a closer look and realized it was insulation, she became concerned. This type of material would be extremely harmful to any pet that ate it. That, however, was simply the beginning of a far deeper puzzle…
Sometimes, paper would be mixed into the cotton candy-like puffs.
The green and white fragments were arranged in a pattern that appeared to be familiar. It bothered her for days on end. It was like attempting to fit a puzzle together without all of the pieces. Whatever the source, the fuzzy youngster didn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. She had to go above and beyond the traditional training methods, she had been utilizing. She had to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Amanda managed to find out what the source of her cat’s habit was. She utilized a combination of following him around and attaching cameras to his collar at night to obtain answers.
Phoenix would climb up the tree next to Amanda’s house and then enter her attic through a small gap in the attic’s window. She was completely stunned! She needed to find out what her cat was doing there ASAP.
Amanda initially thought that Phoenix was ripping out her houses’ insulation but what she saw in the attic was both concerning and funny.
With a stick, she prodded the big hoard. A few shards of green and white paper shattered. Amanda’s jaw dropped to the floor as she saw what the final design looked like.
Amanda was at a loss for words. She did not know what she was staring at… A “nest” perhaps?
Torn garment shreds were surrounded by wads of insulation. That wasn’t the only object in the room, though. Feathers, dish towels, little plush animals, rubbish, and even a pair of glasses were among the items found. However, it was the wallet in the middle of the pile that drew her attention.
The green and white paper was cash!
It seemed that Phoenix had somehow dragged an entire wallet into his horde and slowly ripped apart their money – giving Amanda a few scraps now and then. She shook her head and opened the gnawed-upon wallet. Thank god there was a driver’s license inside!
It didn’t take long for Amanda to hunt down the owner.
The seventy-year-old man only lived a couple of blocks away. But it wasn’t enough to just give back the destroyed wallet with an apology, with the headaches her kitty must have created, she had to go the extra mile.
She stood outside the old man’s house – a wrapped box in one hand and her cat carrier in the other.
When the thin, grey gentleman came to the door, and she asked if he had lost a wallet recently, his face immediately lit up with hope. She went on to explain what had happened and then handed over the wrapped package.
The old man leaned down to look into the cat carrier – and at the little thief that had got the best of him.
With a chuckle, he tore back the paper to reveal a new leather wallet and four crisp, new $50 bills. Her eyes turned wide. He shook his head and tried to give the gift back, but Amanda insisted he keep it. After a nice cup of tea and a lovely chat, she went back home. There was one more thing to do.
Her story had a happy ending, and people were going to love the shenanigans that had unfolded, but there was a larger lesson to share with the world.
It was so important for pet owners to keep an eye on their pet’s behavior. They wouldn’t want their pets getting into something that could make them ill … or bring the cops.
