Mine are crowded at my feet- all of them. They woke me up about twenty minutes ago. I had fallen asleep on the couch. Something kept nudging my legs and when I finally opened my eyes and turned on the light, there was a carpet of cats below me. They were just staring intently at me, some were growling, a few were pacing restlessly on the sidelines. I felt like I had fallen down the rabbit hole and landed in a Stephen King thriller.

I listened for any unusual sounds, we do get coyotes close to the house because of the creek at the back of the pasture. I heard nothing but the distant swish of occassional traffic.

As I got to my feet, the cat sea parted and let me pass. I checked each room of the house, turning on lights and wishing we still had a dog around. Nothing….but the cats were clearly unsettled.

I flipped on the front porch light and not brave enough to open the door, I peered out the peephole…nothing…

Hmm- check of the food bowls revealed that the cats still had food available- besides not even my cats would all congregrate like this to wake me, I don’t make it a habit of starving them.

Mike was sleeping like a log, so I got dressed, grabbed a flashlight and stepped outside.

At this time of year, it isn’t pitch black here but I wasn’t going to venture out into the pastures looking for trouble. I started in the front yard and just began seeing what might have set them off. On the road into our home, I noticed fresh tire marks in the dirt, not made by our vehicles. I flipped on the garage light and grabbed a baseball bat just in case.

Our chest freezer stood wide open. I know I shut it, because I always shut it. When I looked inside, I was dismayed to discover that all the meat I recently purchased had been taken along with the halibut and crab my stepson recently sent us from Alaska! All of it gone! They left the vegetables though.

I am just stunned- who would do this? Who would take it upon themselves to rob a freezer of some poor schumk who is just trying to get along in this world? It just stunned me and I knew I couldn’t call the police. This is the end of the Jamboree weekend, I doubt they would do anything other than laugh to hear someone stole roasts, hamburger and seafood from our freezer!

Riley, my big ol barn cat came in through the cat door and I looked at him and said-“I hope you at least bit them!” His reply was to walk up and headbump my legs. I think that means the thiefs got away with no major injuries!