Saw a cat today, running across a street with no doubt a gift for its owners......a mouse!
We used to have a wonderful cat! She was a special pal. She lived a long life, had several kittens (that we gave to people who wanted them), and was as friendly to humans as one can be. She was always there to greet the kids from school, and would sit by my feet whenever I sat down to watch tv.
She was also tough. She would not shy away from any fight, though we fortunately kept her from getting into many....and this when our city allowed cats to roam freely (although some still do, as I mentioned above).
But yes, especially when we lived just outside the city (in a very nice neighborhood), where we had lots of space, and lots of interesting creatures milling about. And of course our cat was adept at hunting, so guess what she would bring home occasionally? Yes, open the door, and there she was, with her "gift". What makes cats think we humans like mice as gifts!?!?
So of course...."no thanks" was our answer.
But even as strange as this offering seems, it does say something about cats. That they have these instincts. To show off their catch. Too bad they were not better at finding money, or say, gold pieces. I would have let her in "instantly" had she brought home those type of things.
And you know what....I miss having her around, because every so often (maybe every few years) mice will show up on our property. No way would they bother us anymore if she was around. Like the time I had to re-insulate some of the garage, when a family decided to move in for the winter, no thanks to the bird seed we had foolishly left exposed. But it could be much worse, and though one might be seen sparingly (and we put out a trap or two just in case), they often move on. But our cat would have made it clear whose property they were trying to make into a home.
Trouble is, she might have tried to show them around the house as well.....in good faith of course!

We used to have a wonderful cat! She was a special pal. She lived a long life, had several kittens (that we gave to people who wanted them), and was as friendly to humans as one can be. She was always there to greet the kids from school, and would sit by my feet whenever I sat down to watch tv.
She was also tough. She would not shy away from any fight, though we fortunately kept her from getting into many....and this when our city allowed cats to roam freely (although some still do, as I mentioned above).
But yes, especially when we lived just outside the city (in a very nice neighborhood), where we had lots of space, and lots of interesting creatures milling about. And of course our cat was adept at hunting, so guess what she would bring home occasionally? Yes, open the door, and there she was, with her "gift". What makes cats think we humans like mice as gifts!?!?
So of course...."no thanks" was our answer.
But even as strange as this offering seems, it does say something about cats. That they have these instincts. To show off their catch. Too bad they were not better at finding money, or say, gold pieces. I would have let her in "instantly" had she brought home those type of things.
And you know what....I miss having her around, because every so often (maybe every few years) mice will show up on our property. No way would they bother us anymore if she was around. Like the time I had to re-insulate some of the garage, when a family decided to move in for the winter, no thanks to the bird seed we had foolishly left exposed. But it could be much worse, and though one might be seen sparingly (and we put out a trap or two just in case), they often move on. But our cat would have made it clear whose property they were trying to make into a home.
Trouble is, she might have tried to show them around the house as well.....in good faith of course!

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