Screech
Born: October 31, 1992

After meeting my first cat, Pterygoid, my not-yet-husband (gophins13) decided he wanted another cat. I came home from class one day in 1992, and spotted an emaciated pitch-black thing under a tree. You could see the ribs on this poor kitty! But she was super-friendly, and purred as I approached her. I scooped her up, and the kitty gave out a high-pitched squeal-type meow, kind of like a screech. I thought, "This is our new cat, Screech!", and I took her upstairs. The kitten did not eat food for five whole days, but she finally learned to trust humans and began to eat like a pig!! Meanwhile, gophins13 had stated he was not interested in owning a black cat; he had a particular desire to get a grey kitty. That is, until he actually met her! It was love at first sight ... Screech definitely became Daddy's girl! Now she is fat and happy, weighing a svelte 16 pounds, and has earned her title of 'Queen Lap-Cat'.

Screech is a funny cat. There is an unwritten law in our house ... "Screech must not appear comfortable while sleeping!" We have not figured out why, but she loves to sleep in or on anything that is lumpy, especially our shoes! Maybe she likes the way they smell and they remind her of Mommy and Daddy?? Maybe she's just weird?? If it came down to sleeping on a comfy couch versus sleeping on Mommy's stinky geocaching sneakers, the couch would lose.

One day when Screech was a young cat, we were vacuuming the car's interior. We had threaded an extension cord through our apartment's front window, which was only cracked open. I noticed a fat black cat on the stairs, and mentioned how uncanny it was that the 'stray' looked so much like "the Creecher"! Wait, it is "the Creecher"!! How did she get out?? Screech had figured out how to lift up the window frame and push out the screen! She just sat there on the steps, purring and watching us. We're not sure what we would have done if she truly did escape ... she certainly would not make it in the wild. She has an inner ear problem that affects her balance and coordination. She falls from a distance and does not land on her feet. She has been known to be sitting on the coffee table grooming herself, and without warning, fall off!! Luckily she never hurts herself, but then again, she doesn't explore high places like her feline-brother Pterygoid does!

A fairly universal rule amongst the cat kingdom states that "no empty bag or box shall be left unoccupied" ... if a cat is within a 10-mile radius. Our cats are no exception, with Screech fulfilling this rule more frequently. She will nap in the bag or box. When she awakens, she tends to sleep on the box or bag. She will tilt a box on its side and sleep on the flaps. With a bag, she will crunch it down with her paws until it is just-so, and then sleep contently on it. We like this rule because it keeps the cats out of any potential trouble for at least some length of time!!

Screech has surpassed her expected nine lives and is apparently on life #10 ... at least, that's what we have to assume. At the time of this cache's publication, she is 16 years old and showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Yes, she's an elderly kitty, but she's our elderly kitty!!

Note: This cache was placed in Jonathan Dickinson State Park as part of Cacheapalooza 3,
with permission of the park manager, Martin Morse.