The sun warmly shone on the small garden behind the house where a little white-and-brown tomcat named Whiskers lived. He was a cheerful and very curious cat who loved learning new things. Most of all, he enjoyed climbing trees. He could jump onto the low branches of the apple tree, scramble up the cherry tree, and even dared to climb the tall walnut tree by the fence.
"Today is a perfect day for new research!" meowed Whiskers as he stretched out onto the sun-drenched lawn after breakfast.
Whiskers had one big dream - he wanted to become the best tree climber in the whole neighborhood. But for that, he needed to know how to climb different trees as well as possible. And today he had one big question on his mind: "What's better to climb on - dry or wet trees?"
This thought had been bothering him all week, ever since he had slipped from a birch tree after rain. That's when he told himself he had to solve this mystery like a proper scientist.
Whiskers decided to invite his friends to help with his research. First, he ran to the fence where a wise squirrel named Rusty lived.
"Rusty! I need your advice," called Whiskers to the squirrel, who was just sorting her supply of nuts.
"Hi, Whiskers! What do you have planned for today?" asked Rusty, jumping down to a lower branch.
"I want to find out what's better to climb on - dry or wet trees. You're an expert tree climber after all!"
The squirrel pondered and scratched behind her ear. "That's an interesting question. I prefer dry trees, but I've never properly studied it. We need an experiment for that!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking too," agreed Whiskers. "Don't you know someone else who could help us?"
"Let's call Spike, that little hedgehog. He doesn't climb trees, but he's very wise and knows a lot about nature," suggested Rusty.
Soon they found Spike studying leaves under the oak tree.
"Hi, Spike! We have a scientific question," called Whiskers.
The hedgehog lifted his snout from the leaves and looked at them curiously. "A scientific question? That sounds interesting! What's it about?"
Whiskers explained his problem: "I want to find out what's better to climb on - dry or wet trees. I thought I could do an experiment."
The hedgehog smiled and nodded. "That's an excellent idea! But we need to do it properly so we have reliable results. We'll need several different trees, water for watering, and a way to record what we discover."
"And I'll track everything!" exclaimed Rusty enthusiastically, pulling out a small stone on which she made marks with a rotting twig. "These will be our scientific notes."
"Excellent!" Whiskers was delighted. "Let's get to it!"
All three friends set off into the garden, where they selected four trees for testing: an apple tree, a birch, an oak, and an old plum tree. Whiskers and Rusty agreed to first try climbing the dry trunks.
"I'll measure how high you get and how fast," explained Rusty. "Spike will time you."
The hedgehog found a spot under the tree and watched attentively. "Ready, set, go!" he called.
Whiskers ran toward the apple tree and elegantly jumped onto the trunk. His claws immediately caught on the bark and he skillfully climbed upward. In a moment, he was on the first branch.
"Fifteen seconds!" announced Spike.
Rusty made a note. "Now let's try the birch."
The birch was a bit harder because its bark was smoother. Whiskers had to use his claws more.
"Twenty-two seconds," declared Spike when Whiskers reached the first branch.
They similarly tested the oak and plum tree. The oak was easiest for Whiskers, thanks to its thick, rough bark. The plum tree was moderately challenging.
"Now we need to moisten those trees so we can compare results," suggested Spike.
"But how do we do that?" wondered Whiskers.
At that moment, Whiskers' owner appeared with a hose. As if he had heard their conversation, he began watering the trees in the garden.
"That's perfect!" exclaimed Rusty. "We'll wait until he's finished, then try the wet trees."
When the gardener left, all four test trees were nicely moistened. Water ran down the bark, creating little streams.
"Now we need to proceed carefully," warned Spike. "Wet surfaces can be slippery."
Whiskers nodded. "That's exactly why we're testing this. I want to know what's safer."
The apple tree was first again. Whiskers ran and jumped onto the trunk. He immediately felt the difference. His paws slipped on the wet bark and he had to work much harder to hold on.
"Twenty-eight seconds!" announced Spike when Whiskers finally climbed to the first branch.
"That's almost double the time compared to the dry trunk," noted Rusty, recording the result.
The wet birch was an even greater challenge. Whiskers slipped halfway up and had to start over.
"Forty-two seconds," announced Spike when Whiskers finally made it up.
The oak was somewhat better for climbing even when wet, but it was still harder than when dry. The plum tree was wet and slippery, but Whiskers was more careful now and managed to climb up without falling.
When they finished all the tests, the trio of friends sat in the grass to evaluate the results.
"Let's see what we discovered," began Spike, looking at Rusty's notes. "On all the trees, it took you longer when they were wet."
Whiskers licked his paw, which he had scraped a bit when he fell from the birch. "And not just that. I felt less secure. My claws didn't grip as well."
Rusty nodded. "On wet trees, you were on average twice as slow. That's a big difference!"
"But I noticed something else," added the squirrel. "On the oak, the difference was smallest."
"That's true," agreed Spike. "Probably because oak bark is thick and rough, so even when it's wet, it still provides good places to grip."
"And the birch was probably worst, right?" asked Whiskers. "It has smooth bark even when dry, and when it's wet, it's like trying to climb a glass bottle."
All three laughed at the image of a cat trying to climb up a glass bottle.
"So the answer to your question, Whiskers, is clear," summarized Spike. "Dry trees are better to climb than wet ones."
"But it's interesting that the difference isn't the same on all trees," added Rusty. "It depends on the type of bark."
Whiskers was thrilled. "That's an amazing discovery! Now I know that after rain I should be more careful, especially on trees with smooth bark. And if I needed to hide somewhere quickly, it would be best to choose an oak."
"Exactly," agreed Spike. "And that's why it's important to do experiments and observations. You never know when this knowledge will come in handy."
Whiskers suddenly perked up. Dark clouds appeared in the sky.
"I think we'll soon be able to test our findings in practice," laughed the little cat. "It looks like rain."
Indeed, in a few minutes the first drops began to fall.
"Let's take shelter," suggested Spike. "I'll hide under the leaves."
"And I'll jump into my hollow tree," said Rusty.
"And I..." Whiskers looked around the garden. "I'll choose that oak! Now I know that's the safest."
They all ran off in different directions. Whiskers elegantly climbed the oak, even though the rain was already wetting the bark. He found a spot between the branches where he was protected from the drops and smiled contentedly.
"Being a scientist really pays off," he meowed to himself as he watched the raindrops run down the bark. "Today I learned something that will help me be a better tree climber."
And as he sat safely in the oak branches, he began thinking about his next experiment. "I wonder if it's better to climb in the morning or evening? And what about in winter versus summer? So many questions and so many experiments ahead of me!"
Whiskers purred contentedly. He knew that with his friends he would be able to solve all these mysteries. And perhaps one day he would truly become the best tree climber in the entire area. But now he was enjoying the feeling of well-conducted research and looking forward to the next adventures that awaited him.