The Culprit

Though Dave spends his hours and days indoors, now that he no longer lives on the mean streets of Iowa, he still needs to let loose once in a while. One of his outlets is the designated scratching area on Dave's cat tree. From time to time, Dave will suddenly scamper across the room in order to attack the cat tree and attempt to destroy it.

He can make quite a mess.

Exploring the New Frontier

Since Dave has been granted occasional access to his New Frontier, he has been exploring it at every opportunity. So far, he has tipped over at least half of the items found there. And he has no intention of stopping with the job only halfway done. 

Jack's Excursion

Jack doesn't get as much credit for his investigatory skills as Dave does, but he has them nonetheless. When the back porch was recently opened up to Dave's wanderings, it was also opened up to Jack. While Dave approached the scene with 100% curiosity, Jack approached with 80% curiosity and 20% concern. He is sometimes the more practical cat.

CSI: Dave, Volume XV - What Are They Watching?

Here you can see Dave and Jack performing their best Holmes/Watson impersonation. Something suspicious lurks on the other side of the kitchen, and they are scoping out the area before making their move on it. 

Guest Appearance: LeiLei, Volume XIII - CSI: LeiLei

It is no secret that Dave and Jack enjoy looking out windows (see here, here and here). The reasons for this are obvious. They live indoors, and enjoy the opportunity to look outside. 

But it appears that LeiLei also enjoys this activity, establishing her cat bona fides yet again. It turns out that The Dafe and Action Jackson are not the only investigators in the family. 

A Mysterious Arrival!

A mysterious package has arrived in Dave's humble abode, and not a moment too soon! Christmas morn is nearly upon us, and Dave was beginning to worry that his bulk shipment of tunafish was not going to arrive in time for his favorite day of the year. 

CSI: Dave, Volume XIV

One of the hallmarks of any great detective is being able to peer at something without being seen yourself. Dave too has this ability, using nearby objects such as the arm of a chair to hide his true intentions. 

Someone looking at Dave from the front of the chair would assume that he was napping, but aha!, he is not. He is actually looking towards the other side of the room.

Wondering about that bird outside

Dave and Jack have both been quite intrigued recently with the bird that has taken up residence in front of their home. The bird keeps saying, "Poo-tee-weet?" to the cats. They aren't quite sure what the bird is trying to say, but sometimes Dave responds with a quick, "mrauuw." And sometimes Jack responds, in a much higher tone, with a longer "maaaaaeeehhh---," trailing off at the end.

CSI: Dave, Volume XVIII

Today, Dave had a partner in his investigations of the bird outside. Action Jackson decided to join Dave. He was also perplexed by the bird, which again said to the cats, "Poo-tee-weet?"

CSI: Dave, Volume XVII

Today, Dave spent a good deal of time peering out the window, probably at a bird saying "Poo-tee-weet?"

CSI: Dave, Volume XVI - Dave's Investigative Process

Dave is now ready to show you the denouement of his investigation. You have seen the introductory phase, and you have seen the initial proceedings of Dave's investigation after he senses a disturbance. Now it is time for the finale. 

You can see that Dave has now completely reversed his original direction! What agility! What a humble investigator to admit his mistake and adjust so well and so quickly! Dave will surely locate the disturbance now.

And finally, you can see Dave has laid his eyes upon the disturbance. It was merely a small stuffed animal. What a relief this was for Dave.

But Dave does not regret putting all of this effort into an investigation that yielded only a harmless toy. His belief is that many false alarms are preferable to one real disturbance going unnoticed.

CSI: Dave, Volume XV - Dave's Investigative Process

Dave is ready to share more of his investigative process with you, after demonstrating the introductory phase of his investigations earlier this week. Now you can see that Dave has descended from his perch on top of the box part of the cat-tree. Usually he descends after hearing, seeing, smelling, or otherwise sensing a disturbance closer to the ground. He is very quick, quicker in fact that many cats half his size. Therefore, you won't be able to see Dave's transition. No film known to man can capture the image quickly enough.

You can see that Dave is still facing the same direction as he was before, suggesting that the disturbance Dave sensed is in that direction.

But now you can see that Dave is doubting that conclusion. After seeing no disturbance in to the west, he is looking a different direction, to the south. Dave doesn't mind being wrong about the location of the disturbance. In fact, it is the mark of a good investigator to question one's assumptions. The important thing is that Dave finds the disturbance before it is too late to do something about it.

Part 3 of Dave's tutorial is now available.

CSI: Dave, Volume XIV - Dave's Investigative Process

Over the next several days, or weeks, Dave plans to put on a demonstration of his investigative process. If you have followed Dave's work, you already know that he is one of the greatest investigators of the past few centuries, equaled only by legends like Sherlock Holmes and Lieutenant Columbo. 

Dave started his current investigation in the position you see below. This is a great position for an investigation, because it offers Dave a great view of the room, but he is also close enough to the ground to quickly launch himself towards anything unusual. It is good to be flexible. 

Now Dave is beginning to peruse the various areas where he might find a clue. "A clue to what?" you might ask. But to Dave, that doesn't matter. He just wants to know about anything fishy going on around his home. At this phase, the investigation is more of a general investigation. If something fishy turns up, it will become more targeted.

You can see that Dave's first order of business is to check his blind spots. He wants to make sure he won't be attacked by something hiding out in the box. He already checked the higher levels of his cat-tree before assuming his position, so he knew nothing could attack him from above. And now has assured himself that nothing is in the box. Stay tuned for more on Dave's investigative process.

Part 2 and Part 3 of Dave's tutorial are now available.

CSI: Dave, Volume XIII

Dave's well-known investigatory skills know no bounds, even the bounds of his current domicile. He knows that many things occur outside the home, and he always seeks to investigate the goings-on outside. For example, Dave might hear a small bird chirping outside, and peer out the window. 

Guest Appearance: LeiLei, Volume III

It looks like LeiLei has something else in common with The Dafe, a passion for investigating. That's what a cat has to do when he/she is not allowed outdoors. In some places, it is a sad reality that cats should not go outside. It is unsafe. So instead of investigating things like trees, bushes, and car tires, cats like LeiLei and Dave focus on things like bathtubs, leftover food, trash cans, and other such items. 

Ever Alert

As you can see in the photograph below, Dave has been keen to avoid being surprised lately. Fortunately for Dave, he hasn't faced any true threats, but that doesn't mean he is complacent. He knows he must keep vigilant, but he can't keep his eyes looking in all directions. Dave's most vulnerable direction is to his rear, something that he resolves by sitting immediately in front of a barrier most of the time. (That is why you rarely see Dave napping in the middle of a room. Never sit with your back to the door, Dave says.) After his rear, his most vulnerable direction is directly above him. But after being surprised too many times from this direction, Dave knows to be wary of threats from above.

CSI: Dave, Volume XII

The cat carrier has been brought out from the closet a few times since Dave and Jack moved into their new home, and each time, Dave's reaction has been the same. He immediately puts his detective hat on, joined by his assistant investigator, Jack. Dave wants to know as soon as possible if he will be taking a road trip, or even a trip by air, or even by sea! He wants time to prepare himself for adventure. Jack approaches the situation more mare warily. He does not even like when the doors of his home are open, and certainly has no desire to go on road trips. 

CSI: Dave, Volume XI

Even though Dave has been confined to a comfortable but restricted indoor space for the last year or so, he has not lost his will to investigate. He thinks there is always more to be found. That's why you can often find him peeking behind the same curtains and underneath the same pieces of furniture he has already investigated dozens of times. 

Although Dave knows he is a great investigator, rivaled only by the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Philip Marlowe, Dave also knows that he might have missed a clue the first time he looked somewhere, and he doesn't want to let hubris prevent him from learning something new. That's why he is snooping on the bathtub here, even though he has investigated it many times before. He knows that new circumstances might have altered the bathtub in some way, and he wants to know about anything unusual. 

CSI: Dave, Volume X

Dave likes going out to hit the town. He doesn't get to do it often anymore, unfortunately. In fact, he still hasn't been more than a few steps outside his home since he moved into it a little over a year ago. Nonetheless, he remembers what the cat carrier is for. While Jack experiences PTSD-like symptoms at the thought of a long road trip, Dave is all about it. Occasionally, the cat carrier will be brought out from the closet, and Dave gets excited. He goes into investigation mode, hoping to discover whether he will soon be taking a road trip, and if so, where his destination will be.

Surprised Dave

Dave is ever alert. Even so, sometimes he is surprised by things. No matter how wary Dave is of his surroundings, he isn't a Supercat. He has his limitations. One of those limitations is his peripheral vision. As good as it is, he can't see the whole room at the same time. He is not a fish with eyes on either side of his head. That would be ridiculous. This means that sometimes Dave will be perusing one side of the room, watching out for good napping locations or any potential threats, and another threat could confront Dave from the other side of the room. 

In the photograph seen below, Dave thought he had been sneaked up on by some ne'er-do-well. In fact, it was merely a person with a camera, posing no threat at all to Dave. Moments after the photo was taken, Dave would appeared more relaxed, although somewhat annoyed.