Cats & "country" life

I do love my cats, but sometimes they don't make me like them too much. Raven and Puff are the same age, but from two different mothers. Their mothers were sisters, so I guess they started life as cousins. Raven is a short haired gray slender cat who LOVES to hunt. Puff is a longish haired orangy tan cat who is quite fond of sleeping. They love each other very much. They are very sweet and loving to us also and bring me lots of joy.

The times when I don't like them too much is when they bring critters in the house. They are indoor and outdoor cats with their own cat door. Raven, who as I said is an avid hunter, prefers to play with her prey indoors before killing and/or eating it because it can't get away as easily. This is not an everyday affair but lets just say it usually happens at least once a week. She will also occasionally share her toy with her sister, Puff. Puff is not only lazy but very clumsy. It is the times when Raven "shares" with Puff that are usually trouble. Puff too often loses track of the "toy" and lets it get away. Then Tony and I end up chasing it around the house until it is caught. Which makes us laugh a lot, but really isn't all that fun. Now, if we see them with it we almost always do whatever we can to grab it and put it back outside, but that doesn't always happen.

They are not too picky about their toys either. The ones I can think of off the top of my head are mice, chipmunks, various birds, and Lots of lizards. I think birds are the worst because they leave behind a trail of feathers. I think they are Raven's favorite catch. Luckily they are pretty fast and she doesn't catch them very often.

This particular topic is on my mind today because I awoke this morning to a screeching sound. I went into my bathroom where Puff was laying in front of the tub. I had assumed that Raven had the creature in question, so I automatically dismissed Puff. It was then that she and the bird moved and I saw it. I was so shocked that Puff had the bird that I didn't get to grab it right away. It started to try to escape the bathroom so I grabbed a rag and went after it. It was a dark colored bird. It stopped and I was able to just reach down and pick it up. It did not squirm at all which made me think it was seriously injured. I walked out on the deck and opened my hand slightly. Before I even got my hand loose it just elegantly flew away. I was happy to see that it was ok to fly.

So that is our life with cats. Our friends seem taken aback when they are here and the cats bring in a "toy". My boss says she would get rid of the cat door. I just see it as a part of our life. I love my cats and they love their indoor/outdoor existence. I would not want them to be stuck inside all day or outside all day. They are able to come and go as they please and they actually come home a lot more since we put in the door. I can live with a little added nature and do not find it odd. I think the fact that Americans are so afraid of bugs and small critters to be what is a tad odd and unnatural. But maybe that is just me.

Just so you know, I do not live out in the boondocks either. I live in the middle of a fairly large city. We happen to be lucky enough to have 2 acres surrounded by woods. On two sides of us are pretty large tracts of unused land and on the other two sides are my grandparents land. They have close to 20 acres that includes 2 ponds. My parents are on the other side of them and have a pond themselves and several acres. This is all in what is considered the midtown area of our town. We happen to be in a spot that developers missed I guess. Although there is a subdivision going up on the other side of the woods on one side of us. I worry that they will build up closer to us than I'd like, but that is not something I have control of. Up the street by and past my parent's house is all "normal" city street life. Almost everyone who has come here during and since the building of our house has said, "Wow! I never knew this was back here!". Even people who grew up near our neighborhood. I call it our private slice of country in the city.
So whereas I'm not a country girl, I grew up with a taste of country life. My grandparents had cows when I was real little and chickens when I was slightly older. My parents and grandparents have had a small garden most years. I never was into the gardening, but as I get older I realize how wonderful it is to have your own food. Tony and I want to garden, but we have a long way to go before we will really be up to any kind of garden plot. We started small with a couple of planters this year. We are trying to grow a tomato plant and a few peppers. I also planted a few herbs. The herbs did ok for awhile, but I think the heat is getting to them. The peppers aren't doing to well, but I still have hope.

One of the cool things about our house and yard is that the deer come here to graze almost daily. I love to look out my window and see a deer. It excites me every time! You would think after the first week or so it would lose it's appeal but it does not. They are such beautiful creatures. I have also seen the occasional rabbit in the grass this year and that is almost as exciting.

I think that it is wonderful to be so surrounded by the beauty of nature in a world that seems to be losing touch with Mother Nature more and more everyday. I am hopeful that our family's plot of land will remain natural and undeveloped for many generations to come. I also can't wait to share all of the wonders of nature with my own children.