Fun With Syrup

What have things come to? I don't post for a few days and then I attempt a comeback with a story like this (everything has gone done hill since I posted that American Idol poll.)

This morning while eating breakfast with my digs (i.e. children) I told them my famed Cat In The Syrup story. My daughter asked for more syrup on her cereal, I obliged after asking her to move her head aside, otherwise it would be covered in syrup after a few seconds. Whenever syrup is on my mind I can't help but recall the Cat In The Syrup story. This morning I decided to pass the story on to my children. Before I tell you the story please don't let the syrup on cereal thing get you off track, I'll explain that later.

Back in high school a friend and I worked as a clerks at a small grocery store. Part of our Saturday morning routine was to deliver grocery orders to the elderly who called in on Friday, sort of like a modern day Simon Delivers. One of the first stops to make was the house with a thousand cats who had an elderly human brother and sister living with them. Having delivered to this house several times before the procedure was to knock a few times, announce ourselves, enter, and leave the groceries on the kitchen table - in, out, move on. On occasion we'd visit with the human brother and sister if they were visible, like out in the living room or kitchen. Almost always we'd play with the cats as they had no other place to be than all over the house. My best estimate is that there were over 50 cats living and ruling in the house.

One morning we arrived to find the kitchen table covered with all the fixins' and leftovers of a big pancake breakfast. Plates, forks, knives, butter, maple syrup, half stack of pancakes...and cats. I have to admit that at first I thought the cats were just lounging around on the table but after a few of them scattered upon our entry, I realized I stumbled upon a Garfield like feline feast. Apparently our timing was at the end of the feast. After cats eat they rest, and these cats decided to rest right were they ate, directly on the plates they just had eaten from.

While a few cats made a quick get a way at our entry, a few others had difficulties releasing themselves from the plates due to the bond of syrup and cat hair. This was quite the site. Imagine it. A fat cat lying down on a plate of syrup. As the cat attempts to get up, he struggles greatly because the syrup has set-up and is now as effective as super glue. But still, the cat powered himself up (had to have been tom with that strength) with syrup breaking away in stiff strings. The sound of it! The sound was amazing, just like when ripping duct tape off wood. I can't even find the words to explain the sound. I wish I could, but use your memory, you've probably heard something like it before.

So here my friend and I sit watching this cat stretch and peel his way off a plate of petrified maple syrup. My friend's gag reflex kicks in and proved once again why he was our school's record holder in the vertical jump, he leaped out the front door while simultaneously losing his own breakfast.

I just sat in amazement watching this cat struggle with the syrup. Eventually he broke free and began cleaning himself. Mid-morning snack I suppose.

My kids like the story, I think, although I did notice a slower than normal pace as they ate and starred at the syrup bottle.