Things that go Bump in the Night: Pets

I was awaken the night before last at 3 A.M. (ok, that's "morning") by the sound of something scurrying around in a frenzy and knocking into picture frames, lamps, vases, things on the floor. Half-awake at first, I figured it was our cat chasing after a cricket or small bug, not unusual. But this was much more serious sounding so I turned the light on. I was downstairs and looked over to the stairs to see our cat gazing intently at one of my daughter's hamsters. The hamster looked oblivious and was trying to reach down to the next step beneath it, while the cat was trying to figure out how to eat it most quickly. I managed to scare the cat away and get the little guy into a laundry basket and back into his cage in my daughter's room. With all the noise and me asking for help, nobody woke up. Not a good test of our readiness for a "real" emergency. Both critters are safe and healthy now.