Escape!

Let me start off by saying that you likely have as much information (or more) about Mount St. Helens as we do. As we all know, Mount St. Helens "erupted" this weekend, throwing steam and some ash into the air; latest indications are that similar eruptions - possibly with magma - will continue for a few days. We're about 50-60 miles southeast of the volcano, so we're well beyond the range that would affect us in any way. As long as there isn't a large-scale eruption on the order of the one in 1980, there's little likelihood that we'll even know about it except by watching TV. If it's a big eruption, it's possible we'll be able to hear it. Oh, and although one news story mentioned that there is a "very small probability" that some downstream communities may be impacted if large amounts of ash are spewn, we are not a downstream community from Mount St. Helens - we're too far east of the mountain, on the other side of the Cascades. So no worries there, either.

But there was an event this weekend that was even more disruptive than Mount St. Helens: Max, our indoor-only cat, was outdoors for ~11 hours!

He escaped Friday morning at ~9am through a window inadvertently left open by a visitor (who shall remain nameless... for now) Since Corinne and I were at work, we didn't even know what had happened until 2.5 hours later. We rushed home to help in the retrieval activities, which were elaborate and totally ineffective. Here's a breakdown of the actions of both parties:

• Max - 500 ms - Out the entertainment room window
• Us - 450 ms - Fast grab for fleeing cat (but not fast enough)
• Max - 2.5 hrs - Under the house (through the open panel in the wall under the kitchen windows)
• Us - 2.5 hrs - Watch and wait for him to come out from under the house
• Max - 8.5 hrs - Under the deck
• Us - 1.5 hr - Watch and wait for him to come out from under the deck
• Us - 1 hr - Use cardboard boxes to attempt to constrain his movements under the deck
• Us - 0.5 hr - Spray water bottle to direct him out
• Us - 0.5 hr - Spray hose to direct him out
• Us - 5 hrs - Watch and wait for him to come out from under the deck
• Us - 30 s - Jump up and down on the deck above him
• Max - 30 s - Run around the exterior of the house before jumping into an open window

Under the house. The panel under the kitchen windows, with ears just poking out the top. The long pole coming from the bottom-left in the photo is protruding out of an open window. Loren... uh, I mean the unnamed individual... fashioned it so that the panel could be closed quickly after Max came out, preventing him from re-entering. It worked. (So he went under the deck instead.)


Under the deck. Our attempts to use the cardboard and water to direct his movements. Of course this didn't work. He spent most of his day here.

As you can see, it was quite a bit more time and effort on our part than it was on his. All in all, a good time was had by none, including Max. But no one was injured in the process, and the emotional scars will heal in time. :)

- Mike (& Corinne)