That time a $300 laser level turned my simple deck job into a comedy show

I was building a small deck for a neighbor and decided to finally buy a proper rotating laser level. I figured it would save time on setting posts and beams. The thing cost me about $300, which felt like a lot for a tool I might only use a few times a year. I set it up on its tripod, turned it on, and got the beam nice and level across the site. Then their cat, a big orange tabby named Gus, decided the little red dot on the ground was the most fascinating thing ever. He spent the next hour chasing that dot up and down the stringers, pouncing on every post mark I made. I had to keep stopping to shoo him away, and I'm pretty sure he thought we were playing a game. The job took twice as long, and I spent half of it laughing at this cat's dedication. In the end, the level worked great, but Gus was the real star of the show. Has anyone else had a pet or animal completely take over a work site?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyramirez17d ago

Got a similar story with a squirrel when I was trying to stain a fence. Little guy kept running along the top rail, leaving perfect tiny footprints in the fresh stain on every single board. Ended up having to redo whole sections because it looked like a tiny crime scene. Makes you wonder if they do it on purpose just to mess with us.

miles14416d ago

My buddy's dog kept stealing my tape measure and burying it in his yard. I went through three of them before I just started tying it to my belt.

valw367d ago

Wait, three whole tape measures? @miles144, that dog must have a secret building project going on out there. I can just picture it, a little doggy deck or a buried treasure map made entirely of stolen tools. My neighbor's lab used to hoard garden gloves, had a stash of like twelve under the porch. What is it with dogs and stealing the stuff you actually need right then?