My Cat Is A 'Plumber'

Ever heard a cat loves playing with water? Well, in Malaysia, most cats simply hated water, whether it's a sprinkle, a jet of, or a shower of water. However,out there, some cats really don't mind water. Ever heard of that? Cats swimming, cats running out to greet the rain, and here, I copy a story that I came across while reading my mom's old Reader's Digest. Enjoy!

My cat adores drains. There is something about water whirling away down a pipe that he finds fascinating. When the toilet door is closed, he waits outside, his nose pressed to the crack beneath. At the sound of the flush, he springs back until the door is opened, then rushes in and places his front paws over the toilet bowl. There he stares, transfixed, at the wonders of modern plumbing.

Sometimes he sits in the kitchen sink, peering down the drain, his orange tail waving over his head.

Watching me run a bath one night, he discovered how to make this miracle work on his own. As I put the plug in, he watched my every move. I turned on the tap and, suddenly, a light bulb went off in his little cat brain. Delicately, he reached out and plucked the plug from the drain, watching as my bath water drained away. Exasperated, I replaced the plug, and turned the tap on again. Once more, when the water got almost to his stomach, he reached under and pulled it out.

I had to laugh. I lifted him out of the tub. But a moment later he was back in, the plug gone, and his tail swishing merrily as the water drained around his ankles. Now, he's never allowed in the bathroom. Instead, he watches me under the door, waiting for the sound of water draining away.

By Amy Willing

Reader's Digest March 2012

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Larry the Lamb

If you are familiar with the cartoon or comic 'Shaun the Sheep', then you'll certainly find that this real-life sheep is just like Shaun.

Read it out!

I was lucky enough to grow up in the country with a variety of pets. One of my favourites was a sheep, Larry, who I hand-raised from a tiny, tail-wagging lamb into a big, woolly sheep. We were great mates, and I'd walk him most days after school. I didn't need to lead him or collar him; he'd just walk right to me like a dog.

One day on our stroll, he paused halfway down the drive. I carried on, while Larry calmly stood and watched. As I was about to reach the end of the driveway, I heard a galloping sound behind me. I turned to see Larry heading straight for me at full speed.

Just as he was about to bowl me over, Larry put the brakes on and skidded past with a twinkle in his eye. From that day on, he performed this hilarious act everytime we went for a walk, always managing to just miss me. Who said sheep are dumb?

By: Stacey Tajber
Adapted from Reader's Digest May 2012


P/S: Who said sheep are dumb? Not Me!

Shaun The Sheep: Well,well,well...
(Read from left to right)

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Sneaky Snail

Being the insomniac that I am, sitting up at 3 a.m.,bored with the infomercials on TV, I stepped outside for some fresh air. I noticed a few snails were eating the potted lettuces I'd planted a few days before. Not happy!

Then I had a brainwave. If I could build a small electric fence around my vegie patch, my precious lettuces might be saved. I set to work, using my very basic electronics knowledge to build a primitive fence using a 9V battery, some wire and a resistor. I thought my way might be more humane than laying poison and putting the neighbours' pets at risk. I plucked up 5 snails and put them in a plastic container with a wire wrapped around, attached to my device. I waited as they slowly inched outwards. As they gently touched the wire, they felt a zap and backed off. I'd found the answer! Feeling like a mad scientist, I had illusions of becoming a wealthy man overnight with my brilliant idea, or so I thought.

After observing them for about 2 hours, to my amazement, the snails found a way to foil my plan. One snail lined up just beneath the wire, then another climbed onto his shell, stretching over the wire without getting zapped. It was slow going, but I was dumbfounded that a snail could outsmart me.

P/S: i found this very interesting, as my mother is on constant World War with the snails at my home. hahaha. She always asked how come the snails could climb up stems and was mystified by the loss of a precious flower,where she could not understand how a big snail can climb such a thin stretch of stem. :)

By: Hayden Sherwood
Adapted from Reader's Digest May 2012

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