Well, the beast has been unleashed. We went up to Nashville for the Southern Writers Festival for the afternoon this past Friday. When we came home, Neko (one of our indoor-only cats) was standing in the driveway puffed up like a Halloween kitty while the neighbors dogs on both sides were freaking out. Turns out we accidentally left a window open and the screen got punched out (the screen, the scratch pad and the cat were all outside) so there must have been a game of chase that ended on top of the bookcase which sits flush with the window.

Thankfully, he stuck close to the house, but now that he's had a taste of the outside, he wants more. He lows (sp?) day and night. It's driving us crazy. We decided to crate him in the living room for the night so we could get some sleep. He spent the first three hours whining. Then he wakes up and whines again at 3:30 and again at 5:30.

I'm at my wits end. I've never had a cat like this before. Before the breakout, I tried playing with him before bed and giving him a treat to mimic the kill. This helped a little, but he still wants somebody up at 3:30am. I hate crating him as punishment because he wasn't averse to the crate before this (I'd bring it out and set it up a couple of days before a vet appointment and he'd go in and sleep there.) Now I try to stuff him in there as a consequence of waking us up in the night--maybe his walnut brain will get a clue. *sigh*

I think all of this nonsense upsets Rilo more (she's the one with the halo and blue eyes in the picture). She loves Neko and follows him around like he hangs the moon. She hates to be separated from him except in the morning when she comes and sleeps on my head. Now she scratches at the door when we shut it to block out the racket--which also disrupts our sleep--we just can't win.

Help me!
--Sleep deprived in Alabama