Saturday, June 21, 2008

secret admirer

A big tom wanders through our yard every evening. Returning from his adventures, he cuts across our back garden, passes through our side yard to cross the street and then heads home, full of the wild secrets that only outdoor cats know. The first few times he stopped to peek in our windows it sent our cats into a frenzy.

It's slightly alarming when you have more than one cat hissing and growling, their eyes riveted to the darkness outside. I ran around the house closing the windows, afraid of skunks and easily transmittable cat diseases. Most of the cats ran around looking poof-tailed and feral but the youngest, as usual, looked a bit confused.

(I often find myself thinking, "Six cats. Six cats! Oh, God....six cats!" Most assuredly the momma cat, I am followed everywhere and my lap is rarely empty. Mike likes to say that I sometimes remind him of a Frazetta-esque painting of a jungle maiden, surrounded by her feline escort. I'm quick to remind him that he's famous for saying,"Oh, get both. What's one more?")

The nighttime cat drama has subsided. Everyone has resorted to calmly regarding each other through the windows but Oona remains the most interested - every muscle tense, every whisker quivering as she stares at the stranger in our yard. I like to imagine that he's a bit in love with her, and returns every day just to admire her beauty.

This morning I found a dead field mouse in the flower garden. Whole and unbloodied, it seemed to be placed very carefully, just so, next to some stepping stones leading to the bird feeder. A tiny token of affection.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bet the mouse was for you. He's showing, by his prowess as a hunter, what a fine provider he'd be for your Oona.

me said...

That sure as hell beats the 2 am one end of the house to the other cat fight I often get treated to.

We've got one of those fellas, but he's much MUCH more paranoid, he sees any movement and over the fence he goes. I've had to "giant cat" proof my garden as his path takes him past this year's expansion. He's snapped off several of the new branches on the tiny sickly looking blueberry bush I planted. Almost worse then the damn tree rats that my cats want to play with. Seriously, they sit there not in twitchy/chattery hunting mode, but that catty "come here lover" call.

BobG said...

Leaving bait for the tabby...

phlegmfatale said...

I love the fact that Mike is such an enabler.

Dr. StrangeGun said...

Hrmm.

Heathcliff.