When a cage is not a cage

YEARS AGO, when my white lady Mekhala first joined the household, I put her in an enclosed room on the third floor. “Here this cat will stay for the rest of her life,” I thought.

Because Mekhala has feline Aids (Fiv), I wanted to keep the rest of my cat-herd safe. The human and dog in my home are safe. The disease can be transmitted only to other cats.

Since cats generally get the virus from bites, I thought that room would be the best place for the white lady.

That plan lasted for about five minutes, the length of time it took Mekhala to figure out how to open the door and escape.

That cat has always been too clever for me. I stopped trying to keep her in that room, hoping that the rest of the household would leave her alone.

They did, except for brat-cat Yoyo. He was – and is – extremely aggressive towards the other cats, and Mekhala, no matter how hard she tried to make friends with him, was unsuccessful. He’d attack her whenever he could, even trying to bite her.

Despite all my good intentions, Yoyo faced a life-threatening situation. With one bite, he could acquire the virus.

I had two choices. Yoyo could be locked up forever away from Mekhala – or I could have every cat (except Mekhala) vaccinated against Fiv.

Vaccination seemed the better choice.

That little room is now Yoyo’s bedroom. He does a lot of wandering and fighting at night, and for all of us to sleep in peace, there he sleeps. I release him in the morning, taking him down to his cage on the first floor, where he has his breakfast. When everyone is settled down for a morning nap, he’s free to wander around or sleep wherever he wishes.

He’s not completely happy, but being clever, he knows that his imprisonment is temporary.

You’d think that every animal would want to be free, away from cages and other enclosed spaces, wouldn’t you?

In the morning, after I’ve released him, Yoyo runs up to the third floor, to sit in his bedroom. He seems quite comfortable, as long as the bedroom door is open.

Meanwhile, Mekhala, so freedom-loving that she escaped her prison in five minutes, jumps into Yoyo’s cage on the first floor. There she sleeps, apparently quite comfortable too, as long as the cage is unlocked.

About the time that Yoyo and Mekhala voluntarily re-enter their “prisons”, my doggie Wan-Wan decides it’s time to take over her own cage.

It’s not really a cage but a carrier I bought for the smaller cats. For the past few weeks, though, Wan has claimed ownership.

I think she’s reacting to the vet’s orders to keep her inside the house. Exercise must be reduced to a minimum. This active dog, who loves her daily walks, is suffering from breathing problems, quite possibly a reaction to the dust and smells from all the construction work outside.

I’m happy to say that slowly, she’s improving, except for one problem.

When Wan is taking a drink of water or simply wandering around, Mekhala tries to take over the carrier. I suppose she thinks that if it’s empty, then she can claim it.

Bad idea. The minute she sticks her nose inside, Wan attacks. “Get away from my property!” I think she yells. Mekhala slips away.

In the next few days, Wan widens her territory. If a cat is just walking past the carrier, the dog attacks, barking and growling.

The cats aren’t stupid. Now even the two soi cats respect Wan’s territorial claims.

No one, but no one, comes near that carrier except the dog.

For my animals, cages can provide peace, security and ownership.