What cats do when you're gone

We always wonder what Ginger, our cat, does when we're gone. Many times the evidence is pretty clear. Other times, we can only speculate. This time we're pretty sure we know!

We've noticed that if she's sitting on our lap when the phone rings, she knows to hop down so we can answer the phone. She usually trots towards the phone, getting in our way as we try to get there before the answering machine picks up.

Well, when we came home from church Sunday, we noticed the answering machine had turned off. Usually, this only happens when either the off button has been clicked, or the tape (yes it's a very old machine) has gotten full. We had been hoping for a message from J & E, since they were away with a youth group for the weekend, and were momentarily disappointed that the machine was off and we would have missed their call. Then, I remembered having glanced at it before leaving and noticing that there were no new messages.

So, if the machine was on with no messages when we left, what happened? We turned on the machine and it started rewinding... and rewinding... and rewinding... The whole tape was full! Was it telemarketers? A politician? Or someone with something very important to say? One way to find out... Hit play...

The first sound was phone noises. Then the recording from the phone company... "If you would like to make a call, please hang up and dial again..." Then an entire tape of the usual "phone is off the hook" noises.

Now it became pretty clear what had happened. A few things that belonged on the bureau where the answering machine sits had been knocked to the floor. And a certain feline seemed to have a lot to meow about.

No guarantees, but I suspect someone called us and got our answering machine, which would trigger our voice recording. Ginger, being annoyed by the phone ringing, and hearing our voice, decided to take matters into her own paws. She can't reach the phone (thank goodness, though I wouldn't put it past her), so she did the next best thing and tried to answer for us through the answering machine by pushing the conversation button, thus recording any sounds that came in over the phone line. What do you suppose? Is she guilty?