May. 17, 2008
My Cats
My CatsLast summer, we got two kittens - mainly because our property was overrun with rabbits who were destroying my vegetable garden and outdoor cats are a great way to keep this under control.Here is Othello, the boy:  He is big and fat and sassy and clumsy. Even when they were kittens, the girl, Bianca (below), would jump gracefully up onto the cabinet in the barn where I fed them at that time, while Othello would try to jump, but wouldn't quite make it and be dangling there by his front paws. An ungainly scramble would ensue before he hauled himself up to where the food was.  Bianca is thin and graceful. I'm pretty sure she doesn't get nearly as much food as Othello does. The other day I saw Bianca leaping in the barn in a way that suggested she was having a lot of fun with something. I got my camera and went outside; as soon as she saw me she came up on the deck to show me her treasure - a baby mouse about an inch and a half long! Well, as long as they are catching rabbits too, that's fine with me. We've had a third cat hanging around the house for a while, and I'm pretty sure I've been feeding it - which might be part of why Bianca is so thin! A few mornings ago, when I went out to feed the cats, the third one was there, meowing piteously. I put out the food and Othello dug in right away. The stranger jumped up on the table to help herself but Bianca was having none of that and hissed at it?him?her? until he/she backed off. Othello kept right on eating, while Bianca watched the intruder to make sure s/he was really leaving - which didn't quite happen until the dogs came outside....come to think of it, I haven't seen the visitor-cat since then. And Othello just keeps getting heavier... |
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