in the forests of the night
Jun. 24th, 2009 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
holliSo, one morning last week-- about 6AM, I'd say-- I became dimly aware that my cat was playing with something, and being pretty loud about it. I cracked an eyelid, expected her to just be getting particularly aggressive on a fuzzy toy mouse, but whatever it was, while fuzzy, was quite a bit bigger than any of her toys that I knew about.
It was a bunny head. Well, and a little torso, with one front paw still attached; it wasn't a full-grown rabbit, so it wasn't very big. It didn't look like she'd killed it herself, though. Granted, I didn't take much time to consider it closely-- after about three seconds of bleary glassesless peering. I realized what it was, shrieked, ran for a paper towel and used said towel to fling it off the balcony into the shrubbery. I then scolded my cat thoroughly, and tried to get back to sleep.
The next morning, about the same time, the same noise woke me up. This time, I bolted up out of bed, because, yup, she was was playing with something small and fuzzy.
It was THE SAME BUNNY HEAD. She'd gone and retrieved it from outside, and BROUGHT IT BACK TO PLAY WITH. I should have taken the opportunity to dispose of the poor thing permanently, but again, I shrieked and flung it away. Some other scavenger must have carried it off, then, because it didn't make any more appearances.
THIS morning, 5 AM or so, I wake to something a little more energetic than just batting around some inert body parts. This morning, my cat is rocketing around the room in pursuit of something small and brown and very, very fast.
Yup. She found a live one, and brought it home. Again, not very big, not much more than a baby. I flung the balcony door open, and rabbit and cat both bolted outside. The bunny took a flying leap off the balcony and hit the ground running-- it's only a one-story drop, but I was still pretty impressed. The cat went right up to the edge, and I could see her tiny brain struggling with the desire to chase! the! bunny! vs. the height of the drop.
I have to say, I'm a little concerned about what she's going to bring home tomorrow. Although I'm starting to think all this stuff about house cats being efficient little predators is all good PR; as far as I can tell, she has yet to figure out how to kill anything. Her main skill seems to lie in finding bunnies, alive or dead, and bringing them home.
It was a bunny head. Well, and a little torso, with one front paw still attached; it wasn't a full-grown rabbit, so it wasn't very big. It didn't look like she'd killed it herself, though. Granted, I didn't take much time to consider it closely-- after about three seconds of bleary glassesless peering. I realized what it was, shrieked, ran for a paper towel and used said towel to fling it off the balcony into the shrubbery. I then scolded my cat thoroughly, and tried to get back to sleep.
The next morning, about the same time, the same noise woke me up. This time, I bolted up out of bed, because, yup, she was was playing with something small and fuzzy.
It was THE SAME BUNNY HEAD. She'd gone and retrieved it from outside, and BROUGHT IT BACK TO PLAY WITH. I should have taken the opportunity to dispose of the poor thing permanently, but again, I shrieked and flung it away. Some other scavenger must have carried it off, then, because it didn't make any more appearances.
THIS morning, 5 AM or so, I wake to something a little more energetic than just batting around some inert body parts. This morning, my cat is rocketing around the room in pursuit of something small and brown and very, very fast.
Yup. She found a live one, and brought it home. Again, not very big, not much more than a baby. I flung the balcony door open, and rabbit and cat both bolted outside. The bunny took a flying leap off the balcony and hit the ground running-- it's only a one-story drop, but I was still pretty impressed. The cat went right up to the edge, and I could see her tiny brain struggling with the desire to chase! the! bunny! vs. the height of the drop.
I have to say, I'm a little concerned about what she's going to bring home tomorrow. Although I'm starting to think all this stuff about house cats being efficient little predators is all good PR; as far as I can tell, she has yet to figure out how to kill anything. Her main skill seems to lie in finding bunnies, alive or dead, and bringing them home.
