The Mighty Hunter

I have three retrievers; a Golden Retriever, a Labrador Retriever, and a Feline Retriever. He doesn't retrieve felines he is a feline who retrieves.

What's that you say "nu uh"? Did you just nu uh me? Well to that I respond with a resounding "yeah hu" to which there is no rebuttal.

Last night we were in the living room after we put Fiona to bed and I heard Vladi meowing from the backyard. From long experience I knew what this meant. He had brought me a present. I opened the back door and looked out. Sure enough he was sitting there proudly next to his kill. Now this is normal behavior for a cat. They catch things usually birds or lizards and bring them to you as their way of helping provide for the family. The thing is Vladi does it a little differently. For example what he brought me last night was a window envelope.

When he was a kitten and still lived inside he started this behavior. He'd bring me his toys or pieces of paper he'd pulled out of the trash and drop them on me in the middle of the night. Recognizing that once I let him outside he'd be bringing me things I really didn't want to find in my bed I decided to make him wear a bell. And it worked he's never brought me anything gross and because I think the things he brings me are amusing I praise him and encourage this odd behavior.

Some of the things he's brought us:

String
Twine
Those straps they use on packages
kids homework (Twice. 1 elementary, 1 high school)
An id badge the highschoolers have to wear to get on campus
A company memo
my own bills (so many times I've lost count)
A parking ticket
those notes they put in your suitcase when it is selected for random search (three times)
an entire sheet of newspaper with a paintbrush still stuck to it (this one's my favorite as he brought it over the fence, across the yard, and through the cat door to lay it at the foot of our bed)
A check for $84.75

That last one is a funny story. My guess is someone left it out for their gardener. I mailed it back anonymously to the address on the check . I doubt the person believed it when they read the my cat stole this note I enclosed. When I showed Dave what Vladi had brought us he said, "Good kitty. Next time bring cash."