Curious Cat Emerging
The back deck of our house is visited by many birds. Large and small come to feast on suet bricks or seeds from several dispensers. In warm weather we enjoy standing by the window watching them take turns eating and splashing in the bird bath. They look like they are having a great deal of fun, but I have to keep an constant eye on my cat.
Franny is a warm weather feline reluctant to go outside when it is cold. During the winter, she moves lazily from room to room in search of a comfortable pillow. Much of her day is spent sleeping soundly near a heater vent. The only time Franny bounds with energy is during morning and evening feedings. During those times she cries incessantly until a dish of salmon or mackerel is placed before her. Accustomed to a gourmet diet, Franny became a little butter ball this winter. Unfortunately, she gained so much weight that on her last visit the vet told us to reduce her portions if we didn’t want her to get diabetes.
We quickly learned that our cat had other ideas. If we are not going to feed her then she is prepared to augment her own diet. We began to notice her spending hours at the glass doors leading to the back deck. Staring, without moving a muscle, she watched every motion made by the visiting birds. If we weren’t careful opening the door she scooted between our legs to run for the deck. Her readiness to pounce on our feathered friends made us quite nervous.
Now that is warmer Franny has evonlved into a different kind of cat. Awake and energized after hibernating all winter causes us worry for she started to resume her old feline tricks. Last year, for example, she caught mice and brought them into the house to bat around as playmates. She would release her captives in order to hunt them over and over again. She arrived with one mouse that was pregnant and it wasn’t long before a litter of babies ran through the house.
To escape Franny’s clutches the small bodies scurried to the top of a curtain rod over a large picture window. The mice ran back and forth afraid to come down while our cat sat stone still for hours watching their antics. As soon as one bravely descended, Franny was ready to spring towards her prey. She usually batted it around before releasing it though sometimes the mouse became her meal. In an effort to rid the house of Franny’s playmates, Ray tripped down the living room stairs determined to catch them. I watched with bated breath.
Baby birds, mice, and moles are all targets of our domesticated cat. But since we are unwilling to confine her completely to the house, putting her on a diet has become a family joke. Who are we to regulate her meals when she is outside. We can’t control what she swallows for she certainly knows how to fill her belly.
Franny makes me aware that just as I don’t have power over her diet, neither do I have over my family’s. I can’t make husband, children (or myself) eat reasonably sized portions of a healthy diet unless they are willing to do so. They always manage to find a way around food austerity measures. If they want sodapop, candy, or ice cream they know where to find them. Willpower is an elusive subject and obesity is a problem that bothers more than 30 percent of the population. It is not one I am ready to tackle, however. So–if you have a solution, do let me know.
Please comment belose with your cat stories .
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The back deck of our house is visited by many birds. Large and small come to feast on suet bricks or seeds from several dispensers. In warm weather we enjoy standing by the window watching them take turns eating and splashing in the bird bath. They look like they are having a great deal of fun, but I have to keep an constant eye on my cat.
Franny is a warm weather feline reluctant to go outside when it is cold. During the winter, she moves lazily from room to room in search of a comfortable pillow. Much of her day is spent sleeping soundly near a heater vent. The only time Franny bounds with energy is during morning and evening feedings. During those times she cries incessantly until a dish of salmon or mackerel is placed before her. Accustomed to a gourmet diet, Franny became a little butter ball this winter. Unfortunately, she gained so much weight that on her last visit the vet told us to reduce her portions if we didn’t want her to get diabetes.
We quickly learned that our cat had other ideas. If we are not going to feed her then she is prepared to augment her own diet. We began to notice her spending hours at the glass doors leading to the back deck. Staring, without moving a muscle, she watched every motion made by the visiting birds. If we weren’t careful opening the door she scooted between our legs to run for the deck. Her readiness to pounce on our feathered friends made us quite nervous.
Now that is warmer Franny has evonlved into a different kind of cat. Awake and energized after hibernating all winter causes us worry for she started to resume her old feline tricks. Last year, for example, she caught mice and brought them into the house to bat around as playmates. She would release her captives in order to hunt them over and over again. She arrived with one mouse that was pregnant and it wasn’t long before a litter of babies ran through the house.
To escape Franny’s clutches the small bodies scurried to the top of a curtain rod over a large picture window. The mice ran back and forth afraid to come down while our cat sat stone still for hours watching their antics. As soon as one bravely descended, Franny was ready to spring towards her prey. She usually batted it around before releasing it though sometimes the mouse became her meal. In an effort to rid the house of Franny’s playmates, Ray tripped down the living room stairs determined to catch them. I watched with bated breath.
Baby birds, mice, and moles are all targets of our domesticated cat. But since we are unwilling to confine her completely to the house, putting her on a diet has become a family joke. Who are we to regulate her meals when she is outside. We can’t control what she swallows for she certainly knows how to fill her belly.
Franny makes me aware that just as I don’t have power over her diet, neither do I have over my family’s. I can’t make husband, children (or myself) eat reasonably sized portions of a healthy diet unless they are willing to do so. They always manage to find a way around food austerity measures. If they want sodapop, candy, or ice cream they know where to find them. Willpower is an elusive subject and obesity is a problem that bothers more than 30 percent of the population. It is not one I am ready to tackle, however. So–if you have a solution, do let me know.
Please comment belose with your cat stories .
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