I noticed an odd thing yesterday - a UTO (unidentified turd-like object) laying in the middle of The Tripp On Two Wheels Intergalactic Headquarters' (my storage unit) cement floor. I'm pretty good at identifying scat (animal droppings) from my days as a hunting guide, but this one wasn't as easy to decipher. To add to the mystery, there are only a couple of inches of gap between the walls of the unit and the ceiling, making it nearly impossible for most 4-leggeds to navigate from one unit to the other, not to mention darkness and the baking-hot summer heat. and After a few moments of puzzlement, I went on with my business and forgot about things.
Forward fast roughly 24-hours...
I decided it was a good time to take a ride on the Fat Bob. What the hell was I thinking, it was still well over 100 out, which makes one not too cozy when riding in full gear. But in the true spirit of "damned the torpedoes, full speed ahead," I motored over to TOTWIHQ and made ready enjoy some hot breeze.
As I was raising the Fat Bob's kick stand (aka Jiffy Stand) something in front of my front wheel caught my eye. At first, it looked like a small raccoon but after getting off the bike for a closer look, I realized it was a cat. A very young, very pretty, very dead tortoise shell cat. It couldn't have been more than 4-5 months old.
When it's really hot out, I'll leave the unit and sit in the car with the AC on for 5-10 minutes to cool down before heading back into the Public Storage solar oven. Evidently, the cat went inside to investigate an enticing Subway sandwich wrapper, or the like, and was scared to the back of the unit when I entered before locking up and leaving. I just don't see how the thing could have gotten in otherwise. I disposed of the cat with a gloved hand and drove home.
Now I've owned a couple cats in my day, but I'm not really what you'd call a cat person. Owning one cat isn't bad, but you get two or more of the damned things and they'll never pay any attention to you again.
I spent the rest of the day thinking about that cat's last few hours in the searing heat and to be honest it upset me. Next time I happen across a UTO, I'll look around a bit more.
Poor cat.
