Wednesday, 07 June 2006 | Beware of cat

The air conditioner in the living room doesn't fit in the window very snugly. In fact, there's so much space between the edge of the unit and the wall that we've had to stuff strips of gray foam in the gap, which we then artfully covered with a thick layer of clear tape. It's become one of those corners that you learn to instinctively overlook until the moment you have guests over.

A couple nights ago, I heard what sounded like a small creature trying to punch through the tape. The cats noticed it too, and began staring at the spot and creeping toward the noise, the fur on their bellies scraping the ground. I hate it when animals confirm your fears like that, but I kind of like how instantly I defer to them as experts in any situation that seems nature-related.

I bravely held a flashlight on the spot while I watched Ble, the 7-pound cat, investigate by pushing her arm through the tape and swatting in the night air on the other side. My life is in a 7-pound cat's hands right now, I kept thinking.

The creature didn't get me, but it's come and gone a few times now. During one of its intermissions, we investigated the foam (it's got claw marks in it!), we added more clear tape, and we propped a book on the ledge as sort of a low-tech booby trap, so that we'd be alerted if it found its way in (though that's where the plan ended). I still have no idea who is trying to get in, or what it wants from me.