My cat Boots is smarter than she first appears.  A couple of years ago we were getting ready to go on a trip to the Midwest.  We were loading up the SUV in the early morning hours when my husband said, “Okay, put Boots in the cat carrier.”  As soon as the words were spoken, Boots ran underneath the coffee table in an attempt to hide.  That is when I realized that she sometimes knows what we are talking about.

Strictly an indoor cat, I was concerned one day when I couldn’t find her anywhere.  I shook the container that I keep cat food in and called her name.  After there wasn’t any response, I looked in all the usual places for her, like under and behind furniture both upstairs and down, but she wasn’t in those places.  Then I looked in the closets and other rooms usually closed off.  It was like she simply didn’t exist.  After checking the same places about three times, I figured she would show up sooner or later, but I sure wanted to know where her new hiding place was for future occurrences. I’d just about given up as I stood near the kitchen area and looked at the top of the cabinets in the kitchen, a place where I’d looked before.  But from the angle where I stood I could see her hunched down behind a pheasant shaped basket in the corner.  She had been watching me search for her the whole time!

While a kitten, Boots learned the art of blending in.