Oh, THIS One!!

  Ms. Nycto has not "graduated" to being a Bayou Cat even after all the years of living here.  Although we dutifully call her the Bayou Princess, it is more out of sarcasm than respect.  She is NOT a Ms. Put (RIP).  Ms. Put WAS definitely a Bayou Cat and even earned the right to reign as Bayou Queen.  She can never be replaced.  Ms. Nycto will only be dubbed princess and never queen.  She just is not Bayou Queen material.

  Several times in the past, Ms. Nycto has found herself in the need of rescuing.  The first time is when she came to the Bayou seeking refuge from some pretty hateful people who abused her.  She came...she never left.  Then, after being here a few years, Ms. Put had to defend the Bayou Princess from a marauding tomcat that was quite intent on killing her.  (Yes, actually killing.) I interfered with the attack and the feral tom turned on me!  Ms. Put was aged and not strong but she saw that we were being attacked and she raced across the yard to our aid.  She battled the much larger feral tom until he was in no shape to be attacking anyone.  Ms. Nycto watched from the top of a pine tree where she had to be retrieved by Son after the ordeal was over. 

  This evening, I asked Son to fetch Ms. Nycto for her feeding.  She spends the nights inside the Little Bayou House for her own safety.  This time, Son could not find the cat.  He wandered about the hillside until he heard her pitiful cries.  There she was again.  Up in another tree and did not know how to get back to the ground.  Coyotes were seen in the area so we assume they did the chasing this time.  The cat was high up in the tree and was wedged between branches.  Son came to the rescue once again.  The ladder was hauled to the woods, propped against the tree and Son climbed to get the cat.  Getting a scared cat out of a tall tree is not a fun task.  It took nigh on an hour to get her free from the branches and down to safety.  As we were attempting rescue, the sun was setting and we could hear the coyotes just beyond the underbrush.  To say that was a bit unnerving is an understatement.  A pack of coyotes is not something you want to encounter in the woods especially after dark.  They are sneaky and mean!

  The Bayou Princess is now back inside, fed and hiding on the rocking chair upstairs.  Her ordeal left her a bit shaken but with no physical injuries.  Son and I, on the other hand, are both covered with scrapes, scratches and mosquito bites from being down in the creek bed after dark.  Oh, this silly cat! The Bayou Queen would not have gotten in such a mess.  More than likely, she would have settled the score with the coyotes.  That little seven pound cat was a scrapper!