Spike isn't Seah's cat - he's her landlord's cat. So she doesn't actually have any control over whether he's an inside cat or an outside cat, or what he does while he's out. Same with Belle.

Riley is hers, and he's an inside cat who can barely keep her bug population down, so he's not much of a threat.

I understand and respect your compassion for the squirrel, and I know Seah's also glad the little thing survived to infiltrate another day. But I'm also sympathetic with her need to *not* live with a wild animal in her home, and her unwillingness to risk disease (specifically, the possibility of rabies) to capture it on her own.

Honestly, the only creature in that apartment less equipped to deal with a rampaging wild rodent than Riley, was Seah. I can't blame her for calling in the cavalry on this one.

Turning the whole thing, which was probably really hard to deal with, into a story she can laugh at (and others, too) is just Seah's particular way of handling stress - and also her particular talent.

You should hear the one about the lady in the cheese shop... *g*