Teddy - Life on a Leash

Since Teddy loved the outdoors so much, grandma decided to allow teddy to go out but Teddy was now restricted to a very lengthly leash which could be stretched (in a straight line) all the way across my grandmothers large garden. I thought it seemed a bit cruel and unusual to keep a cat on the leash but Teddy didn't seem to mind at all. In fact I don't think he really noticed or thought about it at all. He did however became the world's most prolific knot tier as he worked across the yard twisting and knotting himself around trees, picnic tables and anything else he could find, into the most complex knots known to man. When he would get to the end of his rope he simple stopped and waited to be untied. It became clear although less neighbors were complaining the rope posed all sorts of new problems. My grandma would begin patiently untie Teddy several times a day from his knotty works of art. 

During this time Teddy enjoyed visits from my dad and I to the garden where we would work for several hours every weekend in the Spring and Summer clearing the land and planting. Teddy would jump into the wheel barrel for a free ride which he absolutely loved, he would also help dig holes when planting potatoes (and helped fill some of them too) and in the Fall Teddy would help us pick apples by chasing after the fallen ones putting his paws on them till we picked it up. During this time I might add we were constantly untieing him. He would wind himself around my legs in one direction until he came to a stop nearly tripping me while also tieing an amazing knot up and down my dad's apple tree ladder.

Things started to get a bit more dangerous when he managed to make sprialing knots going up a tree. On one occasion he got so stuck that the neighborhood squirrels seeing Teddy tied in a helpless state decided to take advantage of the situation, pestering and biting him. This started Teddy's life long campaign for revenge against the squirrels. On one extremely scary incident my dad and I were called to my grandma's house. Teddy was found spinning back and forth from the top of the apple tree by his neck! Somehow he managed to get free of his bottom harness but was now dangling helplessly meowing as he turned.

My grandmother kept Teddy for 4 years. Although he was quite a handful he was very loved and very affectionate to grandma and to all that met him. He may have been an awful trouble to my grandma at times but he kept her on her toes and gave her a lot of company. With sadness my grandmother had a stroke and later died in the hospital. Teddy was very devestated. At this time I wanted to take him home but my mother was worried about his bad habits and rambunctiousness. I instead asked around and a good friend of mine, Matt, offered to take on this challenge.