Thomas' Toilet Trouble

Well, my dears! A promise is a promise and I did say I would tell you all about the day Thomas fell in the toilet.

As soon as Thomas came to live with us, he had a strange fascination with the toilet. Whenever I would enter the bathroom, I could be sure that Thomas would be right on my heels. If I was just going in to wash my hands, he would quickly leave; he didn’t seem to like the idea of getting splashed with water. But, as soon as he heard the toilet seat he would be there.

In fact, Thomas was great company in the bathroom. He chatted to me, “Meow, meow!” and was always rubbing himself around my legs seeking attention. However, as soon as the toilet seat was vacated, Thomas would jump right up, place his paws precariously apart, and look downwards into the toilet bowl waiting for the flushing to begin. I always thought that was very funny for a cat that didn’t like to be splashed with water.

One fateful day, Thomas jumped up onto the toilet seat as usual. However, when the water was flushing, and for a reason I couldn’t understand, he suddenly slipped. Oops, I wasn’t able to save him! Down he went into the toilet bowl, head first. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I saw his foot slip and his head disappearing. His tail was thrashing around in a weird way, it made me think of a cartoon character who turns his tail into a helicopter to get out of trouble. Well, unfortunately for Thomas, that wasn’t about to happen.

As he struggled to get a grip on the smooth, shiny side of the toilet bowl, I was able to get my hand underneath his tummy and pull him up. The whole of the front of his body was dripping with water. As I put him down he sneezed furiously, trying to clear his nose. As soon as the sneezing stopped, he ran out of the bathroom as fast as a bolt of lightning. He didn’t even stop in the bedroom; it was as if he wanted to get as far away from that toilet as possible! I eventually found him lying on the floor behind the couch in the sitting room. He was energetically licking himself, trying to get dry. Poor Thomas!

You’d think Thomas would be cured from looking down the toilet, wouldn’t you? Well, as you can see from the picture, he has changed how he looks down, but he’s still fascinated by the rushing stream of water that appears when you flush! I think Thomas really makes that old saying come true, “Curiosity killed the cat.” I’m very glad he has nine lives!

This is how Thomas now looks down the toilet. Smart change, Thomas!

Thomas - The Naughtiest Cat in Lebanon and Probably the World

I think I have the naughtiest cat in the whole of Lebanon! Maybe the whole world… His name is Thomas. I also have another cat, her name is Lady and she is now quite old. In fact, she was already a grandma when Thomas came to live with us.

Poor Lady! Her life has never been the same since Thomas arrived. He is a young cat and loves to play. Lady’s favorite thing to do is sit in the sun, or lie stretched out on my bed. Thomas needs action! So, he waits for Lady to get down from her resting place. When she moves, Thomas quickly hides behind the door. As soon as she goes by, he jumps right onto her back. Poor Lady! She gets such a fright. She hisses at him and runs away. Thomas doesn’t care, he just runs right after her still jumping on her back. That’s when we have to come along and shoo him away.

My Special Place

When I close my eyes and smell the salty air, feeling the warm sun shining on my face, I know I’m in my special place. As soon as my toes sink into the warm sand, I begin to feel happy and relaxed. Hearing the soft splash of the water as it meets the rocky shoreline always brings a big smile to my face.

As I walk along the sandy beach, I notice the sand dunes on the left. They are dotted with wild grasses, growing like a forest. When I look closer, I can see the animal holes and wonder which animal might be living down there. I expect they come out at night when the temperature becomes cooler.

Down by the shoreline, the clear water sparkles in the sun. As it touches my feet, I feel a shiver go through me; that water is pretty cold! The whole shoreline is filled with rocks, some flat, some sharp, some big, some small, but all of them slippery! I have to be careful as I walk because falling wouldn’t be a good idea. There are some holes in the sand here, too. These, I know belong to the crabs that live there. If I watch carefully I can see them poking their heads out of their holes and running down to the water.

Suddenly, the rocks give way to a stretch of golden sand. The sea here is extra clean. No jellyfish today! My friends and I chat together as we put out our towels and sun cream. The beach umbrellas dance in the wind, trying to escape from us. As I sink down into the warm sand, I feel cozy and peaceful.

The beautiful Turtle Beach in South Lebanon is one of my favorite places in the whole world.