We had just got to bed last night, ready for early rising today, when we heard some loud and unfamiliar clattering noises from outside. Our first instinct was that someone was trying to break in, although it seemed naive to attempt it so soon after we had switched our lights off. However, peering out of the bedroom window there was no sign of activity and I went back to bed. Half an hour later the clattering was repeated. I forced myself out of bed again to look but there was no sign of anything unusual. Despite listening attentively we both soon drifted off to sleep and thought no more about it.
I cycled out early this morning to a meeting and on return went to drive the car out of the garage, preparatory to a day out in the heatwave. As I sat down in the car a familiar, croaky miaow told me that Muffin, a neighbour's cat was close at hand. I let him out of a back door, he jumped out and, cool cat that he is, strolled nonchalantly down the road having obviously spent the night locked in the garage.
After forensic examination we were able to work out what had happened. I had put the car in the garage at about 4.30 pm the previous day but left the garage door ajar to let out trapped heat. On going out at about 7.30 Barbara shut the door, unknowingly trapping Muffin.
There is pile of laminate flooring at the end of the garage and he used this to climb on the bonnet. They are slippery and some fell down making the clattering noise. He walked all over the bonnet, onto the car roof and pawed at the closed driver's window. He disturbed the flooring again, perhaps when he jumped down. He then jumped through the passenger window, which was open, and hairs indicate must have gone to sleep in the driver's seat. Fortunately he does not drive... yet. At some point he moved to the back seat.
Fortunately there is no evidence that he had a pee in the car, so all's well that ends well. We will be making Muffin inspections during the rest of the heatwave. This is a cat who regularly ends up sleeping on neighbours' beds having come through a cat flap!
