Look at those catlets cuddled up together.
See! Cassie gives Sirius a lick.
And another.
Then Sirius licks her too. 
They fall asleep, nose to nose.
Sweet.But…
I took Daughter 2 to the airport on Wednesday morning at the crack of dawn and, on my return, came into the dining room to find Cassie with a little brown dead bird clamped between her slavering jaws. Well… in her mouth. Or at least, it was on the carpet and she was looking complacently at it. Sirius hovered guiltily in the background.
But I’m a vegetarian! Now I’m torn between my love for them and my feelings of moral disapproval.
Oh, you think that this is what cats do? Really?
Suddenly they seem less like fluffy toys.
You don’t think that she just found the bird lying in the garden, having passed away after a long and happy life? Well, it’s possible, isn’t it? Isn’t it? Or at any rate it must have been a pretty deaf bird because the terrible twins have bells round their necks and we can hear them coming from several gardens away.
I always think that how people behave in a crisis is a measure of character. Naturally, I dealt with the situation by letting out a yell. On cue, poor old Mr Life leapt from his warm bed and came to my rescue. I don’t do dead things. It was part of our marriage vows that he should.
Bigger bells? Extra bells? Flashing lights? Sirens? Hob-nailed boots? Balls and chains?
They haven’t done it since. Maybe it was a one off... .
I took Daughter 2 to the airport on Wednesday morning at the crack of dawn and, on my return, came into the dining room to find Cassie with a little brown dead bird clamped between her slavering jaws. Well… in her mouth. Or at least, it was on the carpet and she was looking complacently at it. Sirius hovered guiltily in the background.
But I’m a vegetarian! Now I’m torn between my love for them and my feelings of moral disapproval.
Oh, you think that this is what cats do? Really?
Suddenly they seem less like fluffy toys.
You don’t think that she just found the bird lying in the garden, having passed away after a long and happy life? Well, it’s possible, isn’t it? Isn’t it? Or at any rate it must have been a pretty deaf bird because the terrible twins have bells round their necks and we can hear them coming from several gardens away.
I always think that how people behave in a crisis is a measure of character. Naturally, I dealt with the situation by letting out a yell. On cue, poor old Mr Life leapt from his warm bed and came to my rescue. I don’t do dead things. It was part of our marriage vows that he should.
Bigger bells? Extra bells? Flashing lights? Sirens? Hob-nailed boots? Balls and chains?
They haven’t done it since. Maybe it was a one off... .
I have a little cat story. A little homeless cat appeared on our daughter's door step. She couldn't find the owner so they adopted this little cat. Yes it's a girl said my husband, yes it's a girl said the BIL. They took it to the vet yesterday so she wouldn't have kittens in the future and the little girl is a boy!
ReplyDeleteCute photos:-)
I've just had a very nice catch-up on what you've written over the last few days. Your trip away sounds lovely - perfect blend of family and sight-seeing. I enjoyed reading about the house in which your aunt lives - how lucky she is to have made herself such a haven for her old age. I had to laugh at your 'open house' story - could just imagine your red faces!
ReplyDeleteCats are the most efficient hunters in the natural world. We try bells but it just ups the ante for them, makes an extra challenge. I have that dead thing clause in my arrangement with Mr. Fixit too! It also covers live mice running around inside. Heh. Mice might help you appreciate your catlets' hunting prowess...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately cats do tend to be carnivorous little beasties. What I don't get, really, is why, in spite of being well fed, they will still go for live prey. They never actually eat them, but usually present them with pride!
ReplyDeleteApart from that, they are such glorious healthy looking cats!
Your kittens are so cute, Isabelle! I came home to a dead/expired/deceased dove on my doorstep last week. It looked so beautiful as it lay there. It had folded its wings out and over its head like a fan, and I just wanted to howl. I actually think it hit the window in the door.
ReplyDeleteAnd.....
I had to move it myself. I considered yelling. And then moved it. I did not sign on for this either. I checked the smallprint.
High time for another cat post.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid cat's don't pick up already dead things, they are not carrion eaters. In one way this makes them nicer to know than dogs who can pick up and eat really foul long-dead things.
There is one theory that they present us with their catch in order to teach us how to hunt; that they regard us as their kittens who should be catching things ourselves.
I'm back..and just in time it seems, to find beautiful furbaby pictures on one of my favourite blogs! You might think twice about visiting Australia when I tell you that it is beneath Topsy's dignity to catch birds. She brings in bush rats and lizards - live, not dead. They are her playmates, you see. She chases them around the house until KEN catches them and puts them outside again - usually over the neighbour's fence...
ReplyDeleteI like Lucy's explanation best! Down on all fours isabelle. Get Mr. Life to tie a bell around your neck, and enlarge the cat door so you can fit through...Then off to the hunt, and don't come back until you have a feathered offering between your jaws. You don't want those catlets being ashamed of you, do you?
ReplyDeleteCats do have a bit of a cold-hearted killer side to them, I am afraid. My cat eats butterflies, for Pete's sake. That's one step away from slaughtering fairies!!
ReplyDeleteSigh, I've had similar concerns about cats and other creatures. It isn't that they're bad; they're just hardwired to have certain behaviors that we find, well, bad. (How's that for a logical statement?) As my husband occasionally says, "felines enjoy killing and they're good at it." There are cats who are exceptions to this rule, of course. I'll hope that yours fall in that category.
ReplyDelete