I have three cats, Mischief, MeeMee and O'Malley. Now one would Think that with a name like Mischief, that would be the one into everything, which isn't actually so but her face... never mind... As I was saying..

O'Malley has been the well behaved one for as long as I've had her, like four years or so. Never up on counters or into things. Not even begging, (yes, cats can beg!) nothing at all to trouble me. Well now... recently, very recently, she has begun to "rebel". The other day I came out into the kitchen and found her on the counter top!

"O'Malley cat, you're on the counter!", says I, slightly stunned.
"Meow." , is the only response, along with a great deal of purring. Okay, I'm thinking, perhaps it's a fluke or something. However, as time passed I noticed her on the counter fairly regularly.

This is almost a problem, as I don't have a great deal of counter space, and while she isn't a large cat, she's a cat. I found myself having to gently remove her from the counter a few times. Her latest trick isn't amusing any more, it's becoming a bother, as now I have all three cats that will wander on the counters. However, I adjust, scold and move along with life.

This morning though... I come staggering into the kitchen at 5:10 am or so (yes it's a gawd-aweful hour, but when you work...), greeted as always by the insistent meow of O'Malley from the living room. I come to a halt in the entrance to the kitchen as my brain tries to make sense of what my eyes are seeing. Half the items from the tray on the microwave are scattered on the floor and one of the cats has hacked up a hairball.

"What the...", I mutter.
"Meow.", comes the reply. I turn and look, though I don't need to as I know that meow, and here is the O'Malley cat looking at me.
"O'Malley, is this Your doing?", I ask as I start to pick up the disaster.
"Meow", comes the reply. Not helpful, but the others aren't saying a word.

It doesn't take long to clean things up, and the smell of fresh brewed coffee is clearing my head. Had to have been one of the others I'm thinking as I turn to get kibble for empty dishes. I find myself seeing another confusing thing, O'Malley on the counter starting to nibble at the left overs that hadn't gotten put away the night before. Let me be clear that NONE of the three cats have ever done something like that!
"Oh my head! Pussy-cat, you are not starving and I'm getting kibble right now.", I inform O'Malley as I scoop her up and deposit her on the ground, continuing on my way to the kibble.

I turn back around, filled kibble serving container in hand and head for the empty dish in the kitchen, filling it. I straighten and turn to see...

O'Malley is on the counter licking at the grease drip tray from the night before! She looks up as I am staring at her and tenses, ready to bolt. I take a single step and scoop her up(it's a VERY small kitchen).

"O'Malley cat what has gotten into you? Here is kibble!", dropping her not so elegantly in front of her now filled bowl. I am graced with a dirty look, followed by her walking away from the bowl, jumping onto the counter and ultimately onto the roll-top desk, where she proceeds to clean herself!

After I have cleaned the grease tray, put the few dishes in the dishwasher and gotten my coffee and settled here at my computer I look over and here, finally, like nothing happened, is O'Malley, daintily nibbling from her bowl.

Yep, rebel with four paws.

Learn more about this author, Mary Rice.
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