06/11/03’s illustrious band:

Birdscold

Brought to you by CAWS, the Cat Activity Watch System.

Now that hammock season is here, my feline companions and I have been spending as much time as possible out in the back yard. The jingle of the tags on their collars helps me know where they are, but the loud scolding of crows from the trees is just as good a tracking system. I can follow the cats’ prowls by listening to which batch of birds takes up the cry.

Sometimes, though, it’s not birds doing the scolding. Cat #2, Sprite, is a model of decorum and tranquility who stays mostly within my yard. No problem. But Cat #1, Warren Peace, is another story. A month or so ago, there came a knock at my door on a Sunday afternoon. When I went to answer it, there stood my neighbor Big Tony with a complacent Warren draped over one massive arm. Tony, who lives at the end of the block, had propped his own front door open, and Warren had sauntered right in and started investigating the house. Being a good-natured fellow, fortunately, Tony scooped him up and brought him home, and we had a good chuckle about feline curiosity.

A couple weeks ago, Warren went visiting again. I was reading in the hammock when I heard a soft voice saying, “Excuse me. You got a kitty?” Sure enough, Warren had joined the housewarming party kitty-corner, if you will, to my yard. He had again strolled right into the house. However, he had become alarmed by all the activity, especially by the attention of several young children, and had hidden under a bed. My new neighbor Jisella could not get him to come out. So I had to go into her room and grope around under the bed until I found a hairy leg to drag forth. Jisella seemed less amused by the incident than Tony had, but luckily she was still very cordial.

There’ll be more outdoor time for all this evening as I mow and weed and the cats sniff everything in the yard for the umpteenth time. Hopefully they’ll be intimidated by the sound of the mower and stick close to home. If not, back inside they go. Well, as I look out the window, I wonder if we’ll all be spending the evening inside if the clouds make good their threat of rain. We’ll see. Maybe a little birdie will tell me.

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