Coyote preying on my cat 5X9A708t
It is Spring, when the local coyotes howl in the woods, creating quite a ruckus. This one has come up the hill into our yard several times. Once it chased my cat, Lulu, out across the fields and into the woods. She came back home safe a couple of hours later.
But that was when she was about 6 years old. Now she is 11 years old... still fast, but is she fast enough?
As many of you know, she was born to a feral mother outside, who wandered onto our land and decided to have her kittens under the eaves of my barn. She abandoned them before they could hunt. The kittens lived their first year completely outside, as I slowly tamed (and fed) the kittens, then got them fixed, and allowed them in the house. Lulu likes eating and sleeping inside, but she goes insane if she is trapped in here. So, for her happiness, danger or not, she is mostly an outside cat.
Her brother disappeared about 6 years ago, never to be seen again. It is very distressing, but I know he had a very happy life.
This is the dilemma of cat owners.... and the owners of small dogs, too, I imagine. Do we trap the animals inside to have a boring, fat, unfulfilled, but safe, life, or do we let them be who they are, knowing they may die from many different dangers??
The predators have come back into our woodlands, and my cat is no longer the biggest, baddest predator around. But, she is having a great life, very happy, alert, not overweight at all, fastest hunter I've ever "owned", and very intelligent.
If it is any comfort to "inside cat" owners, we do have two cat doors she can make use of, anytime.
So, life goes on. At the moment she is purring next to me as I type.
Coyote preying on my cat 5X9A708t
It is Spring, when the local coyotes howl in the woods, creating quite a ruckus. This one has come up the hill into our yard several times. Once it chased my cat, Lulu, out across the fields and into the woods. She came back home safe a couple of hours later.
But that was when she was about 6 years old. Now she is 11 years old... still fast, but is she fast enough?
As many of you know, she was born to a feral mother outside, who wandered onto our land and decided to have her kittens under the eaves of my barn. She abandoned them before they could hunt. The kittens lived their first year completely outside, as I slowly tamed (and fed) the kittens, then got them fixed, and allowed them in the house. Lulu likes eating and sleeping inside, but she goes insane if she is trapped in here. So, for her happiness, danger or not, she is mostly an outside cat.
Her brother disappeared about 6 years ago, never to be seen again. It is very distressing, but I know he had a very happy life.
This is the dilemma of cat owners.... and the owners of small dogs, too, I imagine. Do we trap the animals inside to have a boring, fat, unfulfilled, but safe, life, or do we let them be who they are, knowing they may die from many different dangers??
The predators have come back into our woodlands, and my cat is no longer the biggest, baddest predator around. But, she is having a great life, very happy, alert, not overweight at all, fastest hunter I've ever "owned", and very intelligent.
If it is any comfort to "inside cat" owners, we do have two cat doors she can make use of, anytime.
So, life goes on. At the moment she is purring next to me as I type.