Despite their innocent furry exteriors, cats can spell disaster for bases, climbing them like giant playgrounds and causing general mayhem. John Tuck, one of my Chicago bass colleagues, sent me this photo (via rockabillybass.com) of a kitty sitting on a bass bridge.
Cute, right?
Well, John had a cat that decided to climb up the back of his bass case. The bass happened to be leaning in a corner, and that cat’s weight was just enough to send it tipping backward, crashing to the floor and causing considerable damage (a shattered neck block, if I remember right).
More bad cats
I came into the living room the other day to see (to my utter horror) my big orange cat Mr. Dan hanging from my brand new 40 inch HD TV, his back claws scratching against the screen as he attempted to climb it. I shrieked, ran up to him, and yanked him off, tossing him onto the couch as I inspected the TV for claw damage (there was some, but thankfully not on the screen). Talk about getting my heart beating!
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Ah, pets! I am not much of a pet lover — pets are fine for other people, but I do not want one. It is not unusual, when I offer that comment, for the listener to begin to tell me all the wonderful things they get from their relationship with their animals. I usually nod and smile, and they continue with stories….nearly EVERY time, they quickly get to one or more stories like your two: either expensive disasters, near disasters, or astronomical vet bills, etc. ….
Any of which to me would seem to be “deal-breakers”!!
It is a puzzlement!! (By the way, I DO enjoy the stories and the photos!)