Monday, April 29, 2013

What's Your Bag?

On Friday I posted pictures of a great bag that came into the house that the kitties claimed. They love that thing! Star mostly, but Leo too.

Here's Leo having a turn.
This bag is not only just my size, but it has some interesting smells.
 
 

Hang on, gotta make sure Princess Hissyface isn't coming back to claim it..
 
 

Seriously, we're keeping this thing forever, right?
 


There was a comment on that post from Caren and Cody of Cat Chat to be sure to cut the handles off for safety. Now, I'm one of those people who panics about some stuff and is blahzay about other stuff. For instance, I never liked my sisters kids being farther from me than I could physically reach out and grab them when we were at, say, the zoo, even when they were 9-10 (12-14..) years old but I didn't chase after them with hand sanitizer no matter what they got into. After all, when I was little we made mud pies, drank hose water, cut ourselves on rusty metal toys and lived to tell about it.

So I thought about the straps on the bag, and even went so far as to tell Greg about the comment. He asked if he should cut the handles off. I said no, I doubt they'd have a problem. Besides, I'm not keeping that bag forever anyway.

So wanna guess what happened? Go ahead. I'll give you a minute to think.

La de da de da, la de da de da...

Guess yet?

If you guessed that someone got their head stuck in a handle, you'd be right.

If you guessed that it was goofy boy Leo, you'd be wrong.

That's right, prissy, lady-like, precious Star came out of the bag in just the wrong spot and her head went through the handle. Of course the rest of her did not follow.

I want to preface the rest of this by saying that I've had a bad week physically. I'm way past due for shots in my knee and I twisted or snapped or did something to the other one in such a way that I could hardly walk for days. Greg had to take two days off of work to take care of me in fact. I say this so you know why I didn't immediately jump to Star's aid during 'the incident'.

Ok, so Star came out and her head was through the handle. I saw her slowly realize that something was wrong. She tried to get her foot up through the hole too, as if she could come out that way. Did not work. Once her front feet hit the carpet outside the bag, it sort of flipped out behind/over her, almost like a paper turtle shell and the real panic struck.

I cooed to her softly, striving for calm, telling her slow down, you're ok, hang on, as I tried to move. Forget it, girlfriend was not waiting for anything or anyone! Before I could blink, she had pitched herself into the chair behind her and was scrabbling to get up the back of it as well. That didn't work so she started over the arm and onto the side table next to the chair. On this side table is a slender vase with a couple of spent roses in probably stinky old water and a shriveled, desiccated, miniature rose bush in a little pot. I was SURE that Star and her bag were going to take out both of those and my favorite lamp as well. I braced for disaster..

Luckily, disaster did not come! Whew! Somehow she froze for barely a moment, then turned to try going up the back again. And when she did, she moved in just the right way that her head popped out of the handle and she escaped, leaving her clingy paper companion behind!

Once she reached the safety of the back of the chair, she looked down on the now inert bag with hate in her eyes. I had the feeling she'd have chewed that sucker to bits if she wasn't taking refuge on the chair back!

In all, this was over in a matter of less than a minute. Greg had been upstairs and I'd been giving him a play by play, hoping he might be fast enough to get her before I could get to my unsteady feet, and save her, and/or my lamp. He was down soon after everything settled and the first thing he did?

He cut the handles off that bag!

We weren't sure if Star would go back in it again after a fright like that. But my girl is courageous!
See:

No bag is going to get the better of me!
 
 

I guess we know WHO cares about my well being and loves me the most, hmm?
Thank you daddy, for fixing this thing for me!
(By the way, Spitty, plenty of room in here for two..)


Caren, Cody, next time we'll listen to you!

32 comments:

Karen Jo said...

Yup! That's always the way it happens. As soon as you tell yourself something will never happen, guess what? I am glad that Star got herself out of the bag without damage to your vase or lamp.

Sparkle said...

That happened with me and a plastic bag once - I got my head caught in the handle and no matter how fast I ran through the house, it kept following me, relentlessly! What a nightmare. Needless to say, plastic bags are promptly put somewhere we kitties cannot get to, and paper bag handles are always cut.

P.S. the cut off paper bag handles make fun toys.

Crafting Queen said...

Poor Baby, that bad bag. :) Hope you have fun with your bag.

Charliepuss said...

There's nothing quite like a bag.......with the handles cut off! Have a great time with your bag. Shred it into tiny bits for your Mom to clean up! Hehehehehe
Charlie

Cats Herd You said...

Angel Louie did done that with both paper and plastic bags. The plastic bags are especially scary because they flap noisily and make us super-hard to catch (one of the plastic bag incidents was on the kitchen counter and he broke both the flour and sugar containers trying to get free!). The paper bag he got caught in during the middle of the night and dragged all the way across the house and into the bed, where of course the peeps freed him. You have to be careful so that the bags don't fight back!

The Furries of Whisppy said...

We're glad Star wasn't too traumatized by her experience and is back in the bag. What a brave girl!

The Paw Relations said...

Yikes. We're glad everything is okay. Some cats just like to get in trouble, no matter how many handles you cut off bags.

Hannah and Lucy said...

Star seems to have recovered well from her ordeal and is already back inside the (handle free bag).
Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

Fuzzy Tales said...

Whew, glad she was okay!

I remember in the early months I had Nicki, I came home from shopping, loaded down with plastic bags (no one uses paper bags here, except for compost/garden waste). I had been putting groceries away and Nicki got into a bag. I swear I had looked away for maybe 30 seconds or so, and in that time he had the handle caught around his head and had panicked and high-tailed it to the basement. I followed, freaking out (which didn't help his freaking out) and managed to get him free.

Ever since then, I either cut the handles right away, or put the bags away. I seldom use plastic bags anymore, but the reusable shopping bags still have handles, and I'm careful to keep them away from Mr. I'm Into Everything Nicki.

Dma said...

wow i would have never thought the handles could be dangerous...

Kitties Blue said...

Been there a few times. Star, you were so lucky to get out on your own. We have flown around the house with those and other types of mean old bags following after us. We are happy you weren't hurt and decided you didn't hate the bag. You and Leo have a great week. Purrs and hugs from the kitties at The Cat on My Head, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josete

Fur Everywhere said...

Wow, I am really glad that did not end in disaster for Star or the lamp!

Purrs,
Carmine, Milita, and Jewel

Brian's Home Blog said...

Yep, the best bags are always the safe bags fur sure!

Anonymous said...

Whew! Glad THAT will never happen again!
Harry, Dexter and Tipp

Unknown said...

It happens this way every time...sure glad she wasn't hurt and you didn't upset anything else on your bod...how are you making it? Take care...
Kitty & Mum XO

Callie (a.k.a. Trouble) said...

Wow! I think after a traumatic event like that, Mommie needs to give you eleventy million treats!

The Florida Furkids said...

We're glad this didn't turn into a disaster! Allie got her head caught in a bag once too so we always keep bags up high and away from kitties.

Thanks for coming to Ellie and Allie's birthday bash! We hope you had a good time!

The Florida Furkids

Unknown said...

Wowzers! That was scary!
That happened to a before cat so wes did not knows bags has handles!
Kisses
Nellie

Photo Cache said...

that's a great tip. i never really thought about cutting the handles off the bag when the kittehs play with it.

Emma and Buster

Marilia said...

Nice bag kitteh!

Jans Funny Farm said...

Great time to have that happen. Glad Star was able to get the bag off by herself. They just don't understand about handles.

Take care of your knee.

RedSetter said...

You've just proved the Sod's Law of cats, which includes getting themselves into a scrape when you are least able to intervene.

My cats used to think those twisted paper bag handles were the holy grail of toys until I made a monkey's fist knot out of paracord...now they have two favourites depending on which one they can find.

LP said...

We cut the handles off our paper bags too BUT you can't worry about the possibility of disaster around every concern either so we get what you said before The Incident :)

the critters in the cottage xo

Katie Isabella said...

I used to leave handles on for Robin and then Admiral but somewhere in the last few years Admiral was with me, I cut them off and have ever since. NOW from this bloggie, I see why.

Colehaus Cats said...

Oh Mouse Handles!! Danger Cat Tessa here to say that happened to me once. Don't know which was worse - that bag following me up the stairs or Mom and the Dad laughing. They SAID they were laughing with me, not AT me but here's the thing: I wasn't laughing, nosiree! Snip those handles, I say! Purrs...

Clooney said...

Oh thank goodness that all turned out well and that Star is such a trooper! (Hey we read your Mousebreath interview and we can't believe that you call Star "Slash LaRue"...my Human calls me LaRue too, what are the odds?) Purrs to the Mom as well.

Quill and Greyson said...

::Shudders::

It happened to me too Star.

Greyson

A Tonl said...

ohhhh when we got to the point about caren mentioning the handles, we KNEW what was coming!!! Oops! Way to go Star for not letting it get ya!

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

Ohhhhh noooooo!! I am soooooo glad it all had a happy ending! I learned about those handles from some book that I read (can't remember the name). A cat literally strangled itself with the handles from a bag. Don't feel bad, I thought the same thing at first, how much harm could they cause?
I am sooooooooo glad that his had a happy ending!
xoxoxoxo

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

Nothing like that annoying "they told me so" feeling, LOL! Glad that Star is OK (and the lamp). ~ Mark

Gigi said...

Star, my sweetest darling girl? You know how much Spitty lubz you, right? Right?

Well, Spitty don't do bags, darling Star, not even for you. Spitty knows about the evil secret Mole People that live inside the dark interiors of Bags, and they has TEEFS to eat you with. In fact, if I were you, I'd get the heck outta Dodge right now. Leave it for the Barbarian. XOXOXOXO

Furries said...

Great story. The first thing I thoug when I saw the first photo was "still have the handles on the bag?". The handles are the first thing to go in our house. Glad it all turned out ok.