A Wildlife Visitor

Another summer season starts, and the wild critters are making their rounds again. Don’t forget to use caution when venturing out into your backyard, regardless of whether you live in the city or country.

One night I went out to feed and see my cats and almost stepped on a visiting *possum. I hadn’t seen a possum for the season and didn’t think about one being out there. The cats had been sitting on the table waiting and watching for me to come out. A couple of them jumped down, leaving Sir Watson alone. He often sits on the table, particularly when he’s hungry, staring in the back window, waiting for me to come outside.

Watson

Sir Watson eating dinner on another day.

Sir Watson gave me no indication that something (or someone) was afoot. I think I jumped when I saw the possum, who was about two feet from the bottom step.

IMG_4735

This is a different possum. I didn’t get a photo of the visitor in this post.

He was near the cats’ water bowl, and without seeing him, I started right in his direction.

He froze and eyed me. As soon as I got my wits, I froze too. I slowly back away, and then he made his move, retreating under the table and then off the patio. He had his head cocked toward me, and we stood still, watching each other. The other cats returned to the table to eat. I jokingly fussed at them for not alerting me to the visitor, who startled me to say the least.

I am not afraid of possums as many people are. Possums should not be a cause for fear or major concern. Many people think they are mean and ready to bite. This has not been my experience. Rarely has one even hissed at me. Possums are peaceful creatures but will defend themselves when necessary as anyone would. The key takeaway from this is leave them alone, don’t corner them, and don’t threaten them.

Possums are fun to watch as they waddle along looking for food. Obviously, they are great climbers and must have a keen nose for food. My cats and the possums live peaceably together, although Shere Khan and Sir Watson have taken an aggressive stance when one has strayed too close. But normally, the cats and the possums go about their business without bothering each other.

So enjoy the possum as he makes his way through your yard in search of food. And if you like watching him, remember, he’ll be back for a return visit.

 

 

*I know possum is spelled with an “o,” but I think the o, in this case, has gone the way of the appendix: we don’t need it anymore.

 

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Sister Wives I and II — The Throw Down

Tickles and Babycakes are sisters and semi-feral cats, who came when Little Mama brought them to me or at least my house. She didn’t want me to get near them, and although she was only about four pounds soaking wet, she was about the meanest, snarliest, spittingist* four pound fur-ball you’ve ever seen. Little Mama was more protective of her babies than many human mothers I’ve seen or heard about.

Little Mama and her babies. Sorry for the quality of this photo. I had to shoot it from a distance with a snappy camera.

Little Mama and her babies. Sorry for the quality of this photo. I had to shoot it from a distance with a snappy camera.

Both cats are gray, but Tickles is gray and black striped. Babycakes has only a cotton ball, rabbit tail.

Kittens before they had names.

Kittens before they had names.

Flash forward almost six years later, and now they live inside with me.  When these cats came around, I had two indoor cats, Cody and Oop, brother and sister. Cody is a tabby cat whose fur is more blond than orange, and he has matching golden eyes. Oop is a calico with brilliant emerald eyes.

Cody is the ambassador of all cats. I’ve never seen a cat more ready to meet and make friends with other cats. When repairmen come to the house, he tries to help them “work.” His sister, Oop, on the other hand, is more reticent. She doesn’t necessarily hide when others come to the house, but she doesn’t engage like Cody does. He’s also a great snuggler* and loves to purr.

Babycakes was the first to discover his great snuggling ability. She has never held much warmth for me, and in fact, hisses at me. I love it because she looks like a miniature vampire when she does it, and of course, I aggravate her by hissing back. She doesn’t like that. I think she realized a friend in Cody and took refuge with him.

Tickles saw what was going on and decided that she wanted in on the action. So now frequently, I come upon the three of them snuggled up. I started calling the female cats Cody’s Sister Wives. Babycakes is Sister Wife I, and Tickles is Sister Wife II.

Although Babycakes doesn’t appear to be jealous of Tickles, I think she is jealous of me because Cody loves me to pieces and always wants to be in my lap if I’m watching TV. Babycakes sometimes will get up on my stretched out legs – if I’m asleep – just so she can be near Cody. However, the minute I wake up, she usually jumps down or hisses or both. Her behavior is so funny to me.

The other day, I walked around a corner and discovered Babycakes had flung herself over Cody, and they both were sleeping. It was a funny site, and I wanted a picture so, of course, they both woke up.

Babycakes loves her man.

Babycakes loves her man.

Later in the day, I came into the kitchen and discovered that Tickles was now having her turn. She had flung herself over Cody, like her sister had earlier, and they were both asleep. It was another photo op. I have never seen cats lay on top of one another like that before. Sure, they snuggle and throw legs over each other, but this was full body.

Tickles takes her turn. To the right almost out of the picture, you can see Babycakes is close at hand.

Tickles takes her turn. To the right almost out of the picture, you can see Babycakes is close at hand.

They keep me cracked up and often give me reason to laugh.

 

*Cats sometimes require “special words” that aren’t really words so I indulge it.

 

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Where in the World do Cats Rule!?

Everywhere, of course! And I’m not the only one who knows it. I was watching final Jeopardy the other night, and one of the contestants was a veterinarian. She didn’t know the answer to the final clue, and so she wrote on her card, “What is Cats Rule!” It tickled me that she had thought to do that. I decided to write a brief post just so y’all know that I’m not the only one who thinks this. However, it has now led me to be on the lookout for more uses of Cats Rule! out in the world. If you see evidence, please post it in the comments.

Cats Rule! And strike a pose.

Oop posing

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A Baby Bluejay Ventures Out into the World

This is an “& Friends” moment. Though technically, cats and birds are not friends. But I’m fortunate to have a lot of wildlife around my home, and I enjoy watching them in their natural habitat and taking photos. My hope is to create a wildlife card set for those who prefer more outdoorsy photos or God forbid, don’t like cats. Seriously, I know that not everyone likes cats, and I’m even friends with a few of these folks, but I must admit it’s not a phenomenon I can readily understand. Okay, so I digress. You’ll find I do that often here.

A baby blue jay in my driveway watches me while trying to remain very still.

A baby blue jay in my driveway watches me while trying to remain very still.

This little fellow appeared in my driveway one late spring (June) day, apparently out for his flying lesson. I worry about baby birds learning to fly in my driveway because of my outdoor cats. But if you know anything about blue jays, you’ll know that the parents are very protective of their offspring. The mother and daddy stay close while the babies are checking out their new world. I once had a parent blue jay dive bomb at me because I had the audacity to take pictures of her babies on the ground.

The blue jay sits on a brush pile while Little Mama eats nearby.

The blue jay sits on a brush pile while Little Mama eats nearby.

On that occasion, my cats were around and were mainly just hanging out, and the blue jays were after them too. Let me tell you, the birds had both my cats’ and my attention, although this picture seems to suggest the cat wasn’t bothered at all. So I’ve learned to be wary and duck my head if necessary. During this recent visit, the blue jays remained close, but they didn’t seem to have as much objection about my presence or my taking photos of their baby. I only saw one.

Later, I came back out to check on the baby bird and found him still as a statue. The parents were nowhere to be seen, and as I looked for them, the baby kept his eye on me but continued to remain motionless. I don’t know where the parents were, maybe off finding something to eat. I could just hear what they had told their baby, ‘Now stay here and don’t move until we get back. If you sense danger, stand perfectly still.’ I’ve been watching and studying wildlife behavior for a long time, but it still always amazes me how the animals instinctively understand about danger and how to protect themselves. It’s what keeps animal populations alive each generation, and it remains fascinating.

He blends!

He blends!

The little fellow eventually returned to an area with more plants and places to hide. I never did get to see him try to fly, but I’m sure evolution showed him the way.

Initially published on June 26, 2015

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