So THAT'S where they all went!

As I was washing the dishes after dinner tonight, I noticed Chelsea sitting on the kitchen floor, staring pitifully at the oven. I probably should have realized the depth of the problem, since that's the way she used to stare at the refrigerator in my old apartment. But this refrigerator doesn't have enough space to lose things under it, so I thought that problem was solved.

And I love Chelsea to pieces, but she's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box, you know? She's been known to stare at the wall for no particular reason, so this isn't necessarily an indication of anything. And, I mean, I'd noticed that her toys seemed to disappear kind of frequently, but she loves to lose things in the sofa, so I just figured there was a pile of them underneath, where I couldn't see them.

But there she was, staring at the oven with her sad!kitty face, so I figured she must have lost a toy under there, although I couldn't remember her ever doing that before. So once again, I took out the clothes hanger and got down on the floor to take a look.

OMG Chelsea. I mean OH MY GOD. Four ping-pong balls (two of which were too far back for me to reach), three mice, eight fuzzy balls, one incredible dust bunny, and one of the plastic caps from my door-stops. I HAD NO IDEA. A year and a half I've lived here! No wonder my oven always smells funny every time I turn it on - I've been BROILING KITTY TOYS. (Actually, the toys seemed fine. But my oven does have a funny smell.)