I woke up to a bathroom faucet running at full capacity one day last week. At first I thought I must have left it running after brushing my teeth the night before. I was so angry with myself. We’re in a drought here, you know.
Then I got to thinking. It was the cold water 
faucet that was running. I habitually use the hot water faucet and I turn it off after each rinse. It takes forever to get hot water to that bathroom, so I don’t end up brushing my teeth with hot water, but sometimes the hot water comes in time for me to wash my face. Sometimes. No, I could not 
have left that faucet running. So what happened?
On closer examination, I discovered a few strands of hair on the sink. CAT HAIR. Dum-de-dum-dum. Olivia!!!! Yes, I believe she got up on the sink to chase a bug or just to explore things in the middle of the night. She might have been
interested in the nightlight, which changes color over and over and while checking it out, she brushed against the faucet handle. Mystery solved. Cats are certainly curious and adventuresome. But it could have been worse.
I read that in one town in Korea there have been 100 house fires in the last 3 years all caused by cats messing with ah electric stove. There’s a worldwide plea to cat owners who use an electric stove, to remove the knobs or cover the stove top to prevent what is 
evidently easy for a cat to do—turn the thing on.
What else can cause a curious cat or your belongings trouble—candles (use battery-operated candles around cats), electric cords (for cats that adore chewing on plastic), blind cords, open windows (screens can fail), table clothes dangling from a table top, chocolate left unattended, hot coffee or tea left unattended, the
wheels on your office chair, and more. You can probably add to this list.
By the way, if you have a cat that chews on electric cords and cables, take your cat to a veterinarian for a thorough check. It could be that she has a mineral deficiency or a dental problem. That would be an easy fix. Some people have been successful with wide tape. Tape the cords to the walls and the floors.
Cats can cause trouble and worry, but if you take the time and do the research, you’re bound to find the remedy to whatever potential danger is tempting the curious cat.
Wow, my Sylvester refuses to jump up to the bathroom sink, even though he is always insisting on fresh water. I now keep a small water dish that I change often on the floor near the sink. Not that he is spoiled or anything!
Yeah, I think that’s one of the requirements of being guardian for a cat–spoiling them.