The hamster and the cat

So I come home from dropping DS off at school and I sit down at the table and when I glanced over at the stairs that go up to bedrooms, I see my cat and my daughter's hamster. On the stairs. I think I had a heart attack. I think that I did.

The funny thing is that DD left for NYC last night and her bedroom door was open all night. It's usually closed at night, but often open all day. The cat has never messed with the hamster, whose cage is up in a spot that would be very difficult for the cat to get to.


This morning while I was getting DS ready for school, it sounded like something was going on with the cage, like just sounded like the hamster was really working the wheel or climbing around.

I really think that my cat must have somehow climbed out and pushed the side of the cage in so the hamster could get out. It probably didn't help that DD cleaned the cage yesterday and probably didn't latch it properly. The water bottle and the thing that wires it to the cage was on the floor.

My cat doesn't have claws because she was self-maiming for months and months and nothing helped. I think that must be what saved the hamster. I have no idea how the hamster survived the fall from the cage to the floor, and I can only imagine that my cat must have batted her down the stairs or she ran down the stairs. I thought these little things were so fragile, but she doesn't appear to be harmed. When I put her back in the cage, she ran the wheel, then stuffed her cheeks full, then back on the wheel.

Man, I hope she doesn't die. But OMG, that was NOT what I was expecting to deal with this morning.