One Hawk, two gates and 8 cats

Category: Random bulletins from my brain | Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:57 pm

It has been over two years since I made a blog entry. I don't know if I have been busy, lazy or just out of things to say...probably a little of each.

I feed the birds and really well. In the front garden they can feast on any of the 6 suet blocks, 6 seed feeders and a fruit bowl I have scattered around. And boy do they make a lot of noise when the whole gang shows up. And I can always tell when a cat or hawk is in the neighborhood, there is the sound of at least three dozen pairs of wings going into immediate motion and then total silence.

One day last week they all left in a hurry so I started looking for one of the many stray cats that haunt my yard. I noticed some movement on the sidewalk just the other side of the fence but couldn't make out exactly which creature it was so as quietly as I could I stepped out on the front porch. Man, Hawks have incredibly super hearing, he spooked and took off for the neighbors yard with one of the black birds in his talons. I was sad for the bird and wished his spirit a safe journey but was happy that the Hawk had found something to eat.

One of hubbies friends called the other night to say that they had taken down a dog run in the backyard and asked if we might be able to use the chain link fencing. Hubby asked me and I immediately said the gate, I want the gate. I now have two gates that will be mounted out back to become a trellis for Lathyrus odoratus. I have never grown them before so wish me luck.

Now about those blasted cats. Our neighbors around the corner, on the next block and probably on the street behind us do not know now to properly care for pets. They believe that they just get a kitten, put it out in the yard and that is the end of thier responsibility. As a result they have found my front and back yards to be their haven, treating it as their personal litter box and a place where they can lay in wait near a bird feeder and catch a meal 'on the fly' There has been at least one litter of three born in our yard and a threesome of freshly weaned kittens that were dumped in our yard in the hottest part of last summer.

Everytime I see a trail of feathers or smell the pee, I have said I need to get a trap from the city and get rid of the blasted cats. On January 3 I finally got myself in motion and did just that. The city loans traps out for 10 days at a time, I am on my second 10 loan period. This morning I called them to come pick up cat #6. I know there are at least two more to catch...a fluffy white one and a solid black one that I spooked out of it's hiding place this morning right after the animal control officer returned my trap. It is now set and waiting. None of them have a collar with tags or a chip. And I know this will be a continuing process because the neighbors will just get more kittens to replace the cats that have gone missing.

My yard already smells better and when we have the fan in the window on cold nights we aren't being made sick from the smell. And the birds are really a lot happier...for that matter so is the one squirrel we have left. The cats have taken down and eaten at least two of them lately. Really a shocker to go out in the backyard early in the morning and find a squirrel tail laying on the ground and no I didn't not go looking for the rest of creature.

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Jewell wrote on Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:16 am:

Can tell the birds eat well in your yard.

So sorry about the cats. Wish some people understood what it meant to take care of pets.

That gate will look great with a climber on it. Can't wait to see photos :)