I'm surprised that our new cat is still alive...

We got a new kittie about a month ago. Susie is a small, thin tabby cat that looks a lot like our older cat, Murphy.

My wife said that she wanted to get a new kitten because she wanted another small cat to love. Our two existing cats are about nine-years-old at this point. They're also overweight and not too active anymore.

Julia also wanted a new cat when we moved into our new house. She was going to call the call, Sandy, but then settled on the name, Susie.

So in the new house, I was working in the basement on the computer. Julia was playing with her stuff behind me.

I hear this faint mewing.

"Susie!" I called as sometimes kittens will cry when they don't know where people are.

Still mewing from Susie.

"Susie!" I call again louder. "Come here!"

Still no Susie.

"Julia, can you go and find Susie? I think she's lost and can't find us."

"OK." Julia says.

I still here the mewing and then it starts to get louder. I turn around and there, inside a clear plastic zipped bag that came with Julia's MegaBlocks, is Susie meowing up a storm.

"I just don't think that Susie likes being in here, Daddy." Julia comments like it's no big deal.

"Get Susie out of there!" I exclaim. "She can't breathe in there!"

Julia lets Susie out.

"Now did you put Susie in there?!" I ask sternly.

Julia pauses and looks down. "Nooo" she draws out quietly.

I start to say something and then stop. I say in a quiet voice. "Now Julia, I know you're lying because I didn't put her in there and Mommy's at work, so I know she didn't do it either. Now did you put Susie in there?"

"Yes," she admits.

"All right." I pause and try not to blow up. "I'm NOT mad, but please don't ever put Susie in that bag again. She won't be able to breathe."

"Okay..." Julia said.

Later in the day, Julia was playing in her room. I checked in on her. Julia was on her bed, which is a loft bed. Susie was up there with her.

Julia told me that she wanted to play with Susie in her "tall" bed and ushered me out of the room.

I tinkered around the house for about 20 minutes or so. I decided to check on Julia and Susie to make sure that she was being nice to the cat.

I walk in the room. There on the top bunk is Julia. She's flipping through a book.

I look around. I don't see Susie.

"Where's Susie?" I ask.

Julia responds by pulling up her Barbie suitcase that she got for Christmas and says, "She's in here."

She unzips it. Susie blinks to the bright light and crawls out of the suitcase.

"Julia! Don't put Susie in the suitcase! She won't be able to breathe!" I exclaimed.

Julia makes a sound like "tsssshhhhhhhh" or whatever sound kids make when they're sighing and rolling their eyes.

"All ri-ight!" Julia responded in a tone that said "I never get to anything fun."