Cat Talk

14 Replies

I became the primary caregiver for the family cat when my daughter went away to college. I really bonded with Angel and later grieved a great deal when she died. I learned through my relationship with our cat that animals do have their own personalities. Angel was not friendly with everyone and it took a while before she would allow you in. She was very territorial about her little domain and would go berserk if she spotted another cat in our backyard. She would keep watch through our large glass patio doors. She took note of birds and their songs and would mimic them with her own high pitched tweet-like sounds.  Her daily routine involved a reconnoiter of our yard to make sure everything was in order. She did hunt small creatures like birds, lizards, and rats. It was upsetting to find her prey in the house or swimming pool. We would rescue them if still alive. I remember making a few trips to local animal shelters or vets to drop off baby birds. Angel was able to bring some catches into our house because she learned how to slide open our screen door. I have a vivid memory of a day I was in the yard and spotted Angel standing at the screen door with a rat in her mouth, her paw positioned to slide open the door. Panicked by the thought of her bringing this latest prize in to our house I quickly grabbed the garden house and aimed it at the cat shouting ‘drop it!’ I swear Angel made a sound like a disappointed sigh, ‘awhhhrr’, and dropped the rat who staggered away.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “animal sounds.” Write about the sounds animals make and how you experience them.

Featured image ‘Woman with a cat’ by Pierre-Auguste Renoir via Wikimedia.org

14 thoughts on “Cat Talk”

  2. Kim Smyth

    We have a cat that I taught to go in and out the doggy door so I wouldn’t have to deal with a litter box (I still do). She brings us lots of “prizes” as well. One time, I came home from an outing to what looked like a break-in, only to find a large bird had fought for his life and was now perched on top of our schoolhouse clock. Other gifts have been mice, lizards, and she keeps our yard free of rats. They are nice to have, I just fear the day something scary follows her through the doggy door!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      It’s good the cat has learned to go out although other animals could come in or be brought in through the doggie door. It would be a relief to know that your house was not broken in to but the large bird would be a challenge to get out. 🙂

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  5. John Holton

    Cats bring us little presents because they don’t see us hunt and are afraid we’ll starve to death.

    I think we estimated that we’ve had 36 cats in 42 years (which is why Molly, our lone survivor, is it, at least for a year after she goes). Wonderful companions.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. JoAnna

    Cats must be baffled by our insisting they not bring their prey inside. My little terrier used to do that, too. I had to offer her a dog biscuit to get her to drop small animals outside. It was often a hard decision for her.

    Liked by 1 person

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