Poor Bowie

I got home late last night. As I was brushing my teeth, I saw Bowie looking at me through the cat door, meowing as if he wanted to come in but didn't know how to do it (he's been using that cat door for years). I checked to make sure it was unlocked, which it was, but he kept meowing. I opened the (human) door and he just looked at me for several seconds, continuing to meow, and then came in.

I joined Dave in bed. I must have passed out hard, because I don't remember this, but Dave said Bowie kept pestering us, more than usual. Even through punitive squirts with the squirt bottle, he persisted. Finally around 2:00 Dave got up to see if maybe there was something wrong. Bowie was sitting at the window, looking out and whining. When he saw Dave, he headed for the back door, looking back at Dave as he went. He looked like he wanted to go out, but kept looking back at Dave. Dave tested the cat door, showing Bowie that it was unlocked. Not good enough. On a hunch, Dave went down the back stairs.

Our florist landlord had blocked the stairway with dozens of vases of flowers. Poor Bowie! All that time he was trying desperately to tell us that he had to pee!

Dave put a litter box out for Bowie, who was much relieved, pun intended.

I wish the landlord wouldn't fill the stairs with flowers that way. That's our fire escape! Of course we would use the front stairs if we could, so we wouldn't be trapped in the back yard, but the whole point of a fire escape is for when you can't get to the usual egress. Every big flower-giving holiday he puts flowers just about everywhere, but he usually leaves a path I can slide by to get down to the yard. I still don't like it, and I'm sure it's illegal (the fire marshal would have an aneurysm if he saw the back room of the flower shop) but as long as I can get past I don't want to complain. This time, though, the cat couldn't get past. Dave tried to move them around to clear a path, but it was difficult to do from above. The landlord was still down there working, and they had a brief conversation about the fact that the stairs were blocked, but I don't know what all was said. I'll have to ask Dave about it when we have more time to talk.