Newkie stiffened up,eyes grew wide and she posed for attack.
There was a family of deer out the window, and her whole body paid attention.
I pulled my camera and shot this,deer hardly visible among all the shrubbery.
Newkie was itching to go out. I kept her in until the deer passed. She is a city cat; knows only about cars and trucks and dogs, and an occasional stray cat or mouse.
Here, she could encounter raccoon, mountain lions, bears, and hawks. Like her, they have territories to explore, and they too hunt and are hunted.
She thought the place belonged to her alone. On the first day of her outdoor adventure, a neighbor's cat ticked her off, and she busted back in the house all furious and wild-eyed. From that day on, she circles around the house with a hunter's confidence, but keeping her options open, retreating quickly to the comfort of a warm house.
We imagine a perfect state of being for ourselves and our families. We forget the wild nature of things. Pets remind us of how far we have come.
23 comments:
Lovely post; reminds me that I grew up believing all those fairy tales and perhaps that vestige still is somewhere haunting my rational mind. You had the presence to photo, sometimes I just gaze in wonder.
I want the fairy tale :)
nice...our cats have grown up around the deer in our back yard and the squirrels and birds...they do well together and know who to leave alone...smiles.
I hope you kitty stays safe in that wilderness!
Beautiful post. Succinct but to the point. We forget whence come. Nature. And to Nature we return.
Many thanks.
Greetings from London.
I have the tendency to want to believe that nature is a Disney movie but of course, I do know better. Mostly. You could have far worse visitors than Bambi, though. ;)
So nice to have God's creatures visit your area and of the big kind. In my tract home it is God's little creatures that most often visit me. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
I think the big wild cats would scare me just a little so I'm sure a domestic cat would also be scared. I' expect that Newkie will gradually get to know the dangers. Best to give her plenty of protection for now.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
Fun story, Rosaria
Domestic animals and wild animals do not generally mix well though I have seen some surprises. I cannot imagine cats and bears are a good combination though! Diane
My cat thinks she's too special to be bothered or to bother the deer that show up at the Pines...however, she makes any cat that might think it can get in her territory think twice about coming on "her" deck.
G'day Rosaria. Great post. I like the fact that Newkie keeps her options open. Nature is a wonderful thing. Take care. Liz...
I saw the deer before I read the post because my eyes are trained (we have lots of them at our place). A neighbor just reported that he cat was killed by a dog, which is another danger to kitties.
But, yet, our pets do remind us of how far we have come from the wild...and how much they need our protection and supervision!
Love to Newkie from her feline admirers in Silverton ^.^
She's a ferocious kitty! I bet she's having a brilliant time :)
Protective kitty :)
Just like us humans sometimes.
We got a 5-year-old cat from a breeder a couple of years ago. She had never been outdoors, but she found a hold in our screen and went out anyway.
At our checkup trip to the vet, I asked whether it was okay for her. The vet said that cats who have been indoors are more cautious when they go outside than "lifelong explorers". So we had her chipped and vaccinated and built a cat door into the back door.
Our cat stays indoors because we don't want him killing birds and young squirrels, and because indoor cats live twice as long. I should think it would be sad life for him, but he seems content.
Delightful post, rosaria. We have Deer around here, even in the city, if you know where to look.
And our Occupy campsite was included in the territory of a Hare. IN the downtown core of the city. I've seen it lots of times, and we saw it around for the first day or so. Too many of us for the Hare's comfort, I think.
Change is hard for a cat and to move her to a new location. It will take her a while to bet her place figured out but she will. Of course she is in charge if you don't know and she will direct her future there.
Good post Rosaria.
We adopted a stray dog a couple of years ago and have wild critters all around our house--he sees deer running and just wants to join them.
beautifully written. congrats on your POTW!
Oh, my. Mr. Man spends hours at the window watching "his" birds and squirrels. I know he is wishing he could hunt them. Part of me wishes he had that sort of freedom, and part of me is glad that he does not.
Last night I saw a dead fox lying in the middle of the road. It had been a magnificent animal, for its coat was full and brilliant. Nature may not be a fairy tale, but we are not helping.
Thank you, rosaria, and congratulations on your POTW!
We all think the place belongs to us alone. It's a bad ending sometimes when we come face to face with reality. Congrats on your POTW!
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