The Cat Ate My Shower Cap

[Note to my friend Peggy: You don't want Simba looking over your shoulder when you read this entry - we don't want him picking up any more bad habits!]

My cat Martin has always suffered from the peculiar habit of eating plastic. I don’t know why he does this. His previous owner Tom thought that maybe the plastic satisfies a fiber craving. We'll never know. He won't touch fresh salmon, but sure enough he'll chow down on a Safeway bag. For years I’ve had to hide those plastic grocery bags from Martin when I get home from shopping. And if I store the bags in a kitchen cabinet, Martin will figure out a way to open the cabinet door to get to the plastic bags. So I have to rubber-band the cabinet knobs together so he can’t open that door.

When guests arrive, they'd better keep their suitcases closed because Martin will devour anything resembling a plastic bag tucked into their luggage. I have to hide bubble wrap when I'm packing to move (which is frequent). Any closet containing hanging dress bags is nailed shut. Even in the back yard I have to guard the bags of mulch, humus, and soil. It's been a constant battle for years.

A couple days ago after I finished brushing my teeth, I heard munching. Sure enough, I turned around and there was Martin, sitting in the bathtub, munching on the shower cap that I'd inadvertently hung there to dry the night before. By the time I could stop him, he’d left two gaping holes in the cap, which was then destined for the garbage can. I grabbed my camera, and Martin gave me that “What? I'm just sitting here" look.

At Wal-Mart yesterday I had to ask an employee where they keep the shower caps because, believe it or not, the cat ate mine.