You know, in lots of ways this being a cat-human thing is really good. I mean, for instance, right at the moment Bea is curled up on the chair at the corner of the room. This anecdote about a cat curled up on a chair really doesn't go anywhere, (not anywhere further than the chair in the corner of the room) but there you go. I might go over and give her a pat in second.
But not once, in all the time we've had these cats, have they bought in a rare or endangered species of bird. It's extremely irritating, because for years I'd been hearing about cats hunting and catching endangered species of birds (or bilbies, I'm not fussy) and bringing them home as presents for their humans. But they haven't brought home anything! Seriously, the biggest thing these cats hunt is apples. Have I done something wrong? Should I be training them every night with flashcards of extremely exotic birds looking particularly delicious? What?
Sack the cats and get a dog instead. Our dogs get snakes and birds and show them to us (if we're quick).
ReplyDeleteAh, really? All the dogs I've known have been a little too slow for the native wildlife.
ReplyDeleteWe used to be disappointed in our family fox terrier, Bella, because she'd get chased by cats all the time.
I hope you live somewhere with all sorts of juicy endangered wildlife. It's nice to gratify one's pets. :)
ReplyDeleteOur dogs have killed brown snakes, spotted turtle doves, starlings, sparrows. That's the creatures I know about anyway. I hope they haven't killed any native birds, but I don't know, they might have. I don't mind then killing the snakes, I don't like them being in my back yard.
ReplyDeleteThe snakes sound a worry, but perhaps more for the dogs than for you! After all, humans know to be careful of them...!
ReplyDeleteThe Harlot family dogs have always been instinctively cautious of snakes. The late Aristotle once found a sloughed-off snake skin and set up such a hullaballoo we thought he was in pain. My human brother was once about to step - unwittingly - on a red-belly-black and Wilbur (or was it Aristotle?) grabbed the snake's head/neck in his jaws and chomped down hard. (Not that dogs killing snakes is a good thing, since snakes are nice fellows who just go about their business keeping mice plagues in check.)
ReplyDeleteIsn't there something about kittens, if they don't learn how to effectively kill by a certain age, never become very good at it? So maybe the cats are leaping on mice which are then escaping.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a very amusing comment and I feel I have down the side.
They've nabbed a few moths. Got a mouse once. They're not entirely inexperienced in these matters...
ReplyDeleteHey, come to think of it that might be a few *ENDANGERED* moths and a *EXTINCT BUT FOR TWO SURVIVORS BILBY THAT LOOKED LIKE A* mouse. Good one, cats!
ReplyDeleteN.B. Bea didn't kill, or even conspicuously injure, the mouse. She deposited it at the front door and trotted over to her food bowl. The mouse ran a very swift circuit of the lobby perimeter and out the door onto the overpass, then leapt five metres to the carpark.
ReplyDelete[It is important to get these stories straight. They may be used as evidence in a court of law.]
There was a missing "let" in my last comment. Won't down the side again.
ReplyDeleteDon't let Mothra hear about Harriet. (I'm expecting big things from the radiation leak in Japan.)
ReplyDeleteThere's already talk of gigantic floral puppies on the rampage.
ReplyDeleteOne of my cats regularly kills birds her size or bigger (or at least, she did as a kitten). The other has, twice, brought a live mouse inside and LET IT GO. Presumably keeping it for later.
ReplyDeleteLouise Curtis
I like hearing all these old cat war stories. So you have two cats too? :)
ReplyDelete(Due to my slacko commenting you'll probably not see this anyway!)