Staying Safe From Bat!

   Bat, the rescue cat, is a very active cat.  A lot of that is due to his still being young and healthy.  He has not gotten into that "fat and lazy" stage that some older cats age into with ease.  He is far too active to be a strictly indoor cat.  I have to let him roam a bit so he does not bounce off the walls.  Being confined is not a good thing for any of us.  Of course, being a cat, he hunts.  Thankfully, his prey is usually limited to shrews, rats and mice but he occasionally does devour a frog or two if he catches them.  I love my frogs so the cat gets reprimanded with each catch.  That probably does not do a lot of good but, believe it or not, Bat does listen...sometimes....and he does know what the word "No!" means.

  This morning, I eased out the front door before the cat went out and noticed that Gilbert, the "light-dwelling" treefrog, was missing.  My heart did a flipflop because I really have become attached to this froggy!  My search of the light was in vain.  Gilbert was missing even though I could have sworn I heard him calling just last night.   I was beginning to be quite sad when a slight movement at the top of the tented arbor caught my eye.  Gilbert?  Nope.  A green anole swished his tail while he eyed my every move.  

  Just past the lizard, another movement brought joy.  Yep!  Gilbert was huddled on the very top board of the arbor and, to my surprise, he was not alone!  Gilbert was sharing the space with another treefrog!  Gilbert found a friend and they were in a safe place.  Bat, the cat, would not think of looking atop the arbor when there were so many other interesting things near the marsh edge.  The two froggies and the anole stayed hunkered down in the hiding spots until I brought the cat back into the house for the evening. 

  This evening, the serenade of the two treefrogs is being heard loud and clear.  They have a lot to sing about.  They have found each other and found a place to stay safe from predators.  Critters are indeed smart!