Houdini's Story, Chapter 3

The conclusion of the fish hook saga

Previously: Last Wednesday, the elusive Houdini was found to have a fish hook stuck in his bottom lip, along with a length of fishing line and a sinker.

I spent all of Wednesday evening trying to catch Houdini with the only humane trap I had on hand. The most I got was a baleful glance. I honestly hadn't expected him to fall for it anyway, so, frozen to the bone, tired, and hungry, I admitted defeat. ...For now. I decided to try the drop trap again, since that was how I caught him before. Maybe lightning does strike the same place twice.

By Thursday afternoon, I was hoping Houdini would still be around. As I've said, he's not one of the regulars. But he was there, and the sinker was still dangling from his mouth, so my brother and I quickly set up the drop trap not far from where Houdini was sunbathing on the lumber. I baited it with half-frozen sardines (it was, once again, very cold out). Houdini was a little interested; he stuck his head under the trap but shied away. I was afraid the sardines weren't very tempting, so I added some gravy-rich canned cat food. That WAS tempting...unfortunately, it was irresistible only to Bowser, who was 'starving' as usual. I watched Houdini watch Bowser mow down all the food in the trap. At one point, Bowser bumped into the prop and the box fell down over him - he didn't like that much at all.

We persevered, refreshing the bait, even moving the trap to a new location after awhile, but Houdini didn't even come close. So the only cat we caught that night was Bowser.

The following day, I was determined. It was our last chance to get Houdini to the vet before the weekend. I'm not taking no for an answer today, I told myself. Immediately after work, I put into motion my new and improved battle plans: I had decided to put the trap right on top of the wagon where the cats normally eat. I thought that if my helper (my brother Jason) held the rope while standing at a distance, and I acted like I was feeding the cats as usual, maybe we could trick Houdini into jumping onto the wagon and under the trap. We set up the trap, and then, just as I was opening the can of tuna to bait the trap, something caught my eye: lying right next to the cats' food dish was a fishing hook, a line, and a sinker.

"Jason!" I exclaimed. "Look what I found!" Apparently the fish hook had been torn out or just fell out on its own.

The fish hook that started all the drama. I still have it - might get it framed. ;)

Needless to say, I was ecstatic. This was good news for so many reasons. One, now we wouldn't have to stress out about trying to catch Houdini in the first place. Two, I wouldn't have to deplete the emergency fund by having the vet remove the hook, which may have required pricey anesthesia. And three, I would no longer be losing sleep at night wondering if Houdini was in pain or worrying the sinker might get caught somewhere. This was truly an answer to my prayers.

"See?" I told the cats as I fed them the tuna for a celebratory supper, "God really does care about you guys as much as I do!"

Houdini seemed okay - there was no bleeding or obvious inflammation, and he was eating just fine. I decided to just keep an eye on him to watch for infection or other signs of illness, but to otherwise leave him be.

Houdini on Friday night, enjoying a celebratory supper with all his buddies. The hook had been caught on his lower lip on his right side - so your left. Ta-da! No more hook! Houdini magicked his way out yet again.

This was one of those times I wished cats could talk. It sure would be interesting to know how Houdini had found himself in that predicament. Some would speculate that it was done maliciously, maybe by some bored neighborhood kids baiting cats with bits of meat, just for something to do. I acknowledge that that is a possibility, but it seems more likely to me that he somehow picked it up on the Erie Canal, which is not too far from the lumberyard.

The famous Erie Canal, right here in scenic Gasport. Every winter, the water is drained low to prevent damage from freezing, providing a glimpse of the Erie Canal's not-so-famous dirty underbelly. There's actually a lot of junk down there, as Houdini found out.

This time of year, the water in the canal is drained down low, exposing several feet of rocky banks. I know for a fact that fishermen constantly snag hooks and break their lines while fishing the canal, so it's really not that far-fetched to surmise that perhaps Houdini hooked himself while snacking on an old dead fish. But I guess only God and Houdini will ever know the whole story.