We went out last night and got back in the wee small hours to discover that the cats had been very, very naughty! We had given them roam of the house and they had taken full advantage of our absence. As you may know our roberovski hamsters live in a very large ventilated cupboard (the old boiler room) and the door is fixed with a rubber door jam that the cats were unable to shift. I was also using the room to store catnip toys and the hammies were due a clean out. Needless to say whilst we were out the cats 'somehow' managed to jimmie the door open by about 4 cms and had squueeeeezed through the gap and mounted a terrorist attack on the cage. Chaos reined when we returned home to find a smashed cage and 3 hammies missing in action. One was later found (in the cats possession) and declared dead and the other two are missing assumed in the cat's tummies! The rotters!

Now i blame myself not the cats (they were only doing what comes naturally - though where they found the strength to open the door i'm not sure cos I can't open it if the wedge is in - which it was - i had to remove it to get in the room) I should have shut the cats in the dining room and kitchen where they normally spend the night, I should have cleaned out the hammies cage a day earlier, we should have come home earlier (not at 3:45am)and I shouldn't have stored very potent and smelly catnip toys in the same room! It is a lesson well learnt - a) put an extra bolt on the hammies door and b) confine the wreched assassins to quarters when we go out.

I don't think father Xmas will be bringing either me or the cats any pressies now. Poor hammies

Child number three (the youngest) knows, now I have the horrid task of informing his sisters!

I don't think we are going to replace. The cats might have a taste for hamster flesh now and become even more devious and coniving in their attempts to eat them! The horrors!

I still love them both though. RIP little hammies - you were very cute i shall miss your little faces!

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