So far Smudge has been the perfect cat for me. She is a
mighty hunter; consistently bringing me mice, rats and small rabbits. All with
their heads daintily removed. This makes it very easy for me to tell that they
are DEAD. I have taught myself (it only took one lesson of stepping on a
squishy rabbit carcass) to turn on lights when going to the bathroom at night. And you should see my shuffle/slide that avoids any sudden encounters
with previously alive animals.
So when my hunter cat started hanging around the house I
got suspicious. Normally she is gone most of the time. She always spends a few
hours in the early evening curled up at my feet but the rest of the time she
drops by for snacks and is out again patrolling the barn (home to an endless
array of mice) or stalking through the weeds after rabbits.
I couldn’t fathom this domesticity until I looked out my
window a few weeks ago and saw a calico cat sitting in our driveway. And not
just sitting but very much the cat “in charge of all she surveys”.
True, Smudge is a hunter but she is not confrontational.
When a 3-year-old decides to hold kitty up by the tail, Smudge just oozes her
way under the bed and continues her nap. It is my contention that this calico came,
saw, and conquered.
So for the past few weeks Smudge has been much more the
home cat. But I began wondering one afternoon when it seemed that she was doing
an awful lot of snacking. I was really engrossed in a book and I can’t see the
food bowl from my chair so I didn’t pay too much attention.
And then I got up and saw a wee black kitten calmly
chowing down at the snack bar. While I was trying to figure out what to do, in
comes Smudge. With a huge howl she lunges for the kitten who has obviously been
here before. Quite speedily she darts to her pre-selected hiding home and there
she remained.
My 5-year-old granddaughter, Alessia, was due to spend
the night with me. She was fine with having a stray kitten under the bed and
Smudge seemed okay with it too. As long as the kitten did not venture toward
the food bowl.
So we all went to sleep. Except the kitten who made a
dash for either the food bowl or the door (they are next to each other). Smudge
screamed and a riotous good time was had under my bed. I finally ended the
confrontation with the application of a broom. The kitten fled, Smudge
following and I crawled back into bed. Alessia, naturally, slept through the
whole thing.
In the morning it was obvious that Smudge didn’t want to
talk about it. She lazed around with a hang dog attitude most of the day. This
changed however by afternoon. I was climbing the steps (I still can’t figure
out how that tiny kitten managed those steps) and heard a very strange staccato
sound. Cautiously (I have learned that anything can happen on a farm) I stuck
my head through the door and saw 3 of my chickens pecking furiously at the cat
food. Smudge was sitting in the corner well out of beak range.
First, how did the chickens manage the stairs? Second,
did Dan leave the gate open again? Third, how do I get rid of them and fourth,
how thrilled am I to have to clean and disinfect my floors (chickens are not
house broken)?
With fried chicken recipes running through my brain, I
grab my trusty broom and literally sweep 2 chickens down the steps, across the
driveway and through the open gate. Answer to #2, yes he left it open. The 3rd
chicken was of hardier stock and refused to be broomed. Lunging and diving, I
finally caught her, raced down the stairs, and hurled her over the gate.
When I got back, Smudge was drooping over the end of my
bed. She pretty much has been doing that ever since. I am thinking about buying
a couple of mice and letting them loose in my room. It may give her some incentive
to shake off this depression.
