Black Cats On The Bayou

   First there was Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen who reigned over the Bayou with fairness and grace.  She was a true queen who knew her place and put everyone else in theirs.   As a "throwaway" pet, the tiny kitten crawled from the road, through the creek and meandered through the woods to come to the Little Bayou House.  This was about 25 years ago and she never left until her reign ended.  Some 20 years passed with the cat calling the place home.  Ms. Put was a "Tuxedo Cat" meaning black with touches of white.  She had a howl that could send shivers up the spine of any who were visiting the Bayou for the first time and did not know the sweet cat.  Ms. Put left us heartbroken when she passed.

  Then came Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess.  At first, I tried to shoo this cat back home.  From the looks of her, she was definitely "somebody's" pet.  Nope, Ms. Nycto was another "throwaway" pet who had been discarded like trash.  She was not as wily as Ms. Put even though she was a full grown cat when hurled from the car.  Ms. Nycto was a princess that was not able to hunt for a meal so came to us as a 3lb cat.  Skinny, flea-ridden and homeless...until she found us.  The Bayou Princess stayed for 6 years before meeting an untimely death from bacteria in the marshes.  Ms. Nycto was a longhaired, black cat.

Now, yet another black cat has been plopped upon us.  The yet unnamed creature is, you guessed it, another "throwaway" pet.  This tiny kitten was tossed out in a parking lot and my son-in-law just did not have the heart to leave it.  The poor thing was nothing but skin and bones.  He...yes, he...has made himself quite at home here even though I only consented to "fostering" the wee thing thinking surely someone would adopt him.  So far...no takers.  So far...the Little Prince is stealing our hearts.  So far...I am ONLY FOSTERING.  He is a shorthaired black cat.

  What is it about black cats and the Bayou.  For some odd reason, every cat that has come to stay here has been a "throwaway" pet that is black.  In a way, it is sort of fitting, if you think about it.  There is something mysterious about the Bayou and there is something equally mysterious about black cats.  All in all, they just fit with the quirkiness of the place.  Yes. there have been other visitors to the Bayou.  All were in the same fix having been abandoned by their owners.  Boo, the Maine Coon, was a beautiful creature that was here about a month.  Blinky, the crosseyed Siamese, was led here by Ms. Put.  Captain Jack was a smoky gray fellow that defended Ms. Nycto several times.  We fed them all but only the black ones settle in for the long haul.

  Also, what is it with people tossing out the pets as if they were trash?  To my way of thinking, someone should put those people on the streets without any idea of where their next meal will be found.  They should have to face the odds of being killed by predators, being without shelter and without a soul in the world to care about them.  I have no patience with people like that.  There is not an excuse good enough to warrant being so cruel.  There are other ways, people.  (Notice I am not referring to ones that do this as folks?  "Folks" are kindhearted, genuine humans unlike "people".)  Folks, be kind to animals.  Don't toss them out like trash.  There are other ways, I promise.  Every town has rescue places  that will either take the animal or who will help you find a new home for them.  And, while we are talking about being kind...GET THE MAMA CAT FIXED!

Rest In Peace, Bayou Queen, Rest In Peace

  I can honestly say that most days spent here on the Bayou are good. While there is a lot of physical work to be done, emotionally....days are easy.  The serenity that surrounds you here is a Godsend.  That is not to say that things are always stress free.  Today proved to be one of those days that one could do without.  It was hard....too hard....emotionally.  Son and I had to do something that was breaking to us...albeit the right thing to do.

  For the past month, Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, has suffered greatly. Her malady started with a bite from some unknown critter and escalated from there.  Five visits to the vet, countless doses of medicine and lots of prayers later, things just were not going her way.  A few days ago, she rallied enough to leave the entryway and meander around the house.  She chose to be near PJ, the dog we are fostering for our son and daughter-in-law.  Ms. Put's time spent with the dog seemed satisfying to her but she went downhill quickly from there.  Another visit to the vet this morning brought sad but inevitable news.  We knew it was going to come to this.  We had talked about it.  We were not ready for it.  The Queen is with us no more.  

  Ms. Put came to us quite by accident.  She was a wee kitten that some very hateful folks tossed from a car window.  The tiny eight week old kitten made her way through the woods, across the creek and up the hillside to the Little Bayou House.  She never left.  Her reign as Queen of the Bayou lasted nigh on twenty-two years.  The cat had dominion over all other denizens of the Bayou but she ruled with a kind paw.  Although she would defend her territory viciously, she would also help those in need.  More than once she came to the rescue of some pitiful throwaway pet.  She helped the likes of Blinky, the cross eyed cat that could not find anything to eat. She led him to her food dish each evening.  She befriended Boo, the Maine Coon Cat that was malnourished, and shared her meals with him.  Ms. Put came to the defense of Ms. Nycto, the newcomer who later became the Bayou Princess, by striking out against a much larger feral cat that was attacking Ms. Nycto.  She had even protected me against the same feral cat later.  My tiny, six pound cat was a fighter but she just could not fight any longer.  The invisible entity that was killing her from within was too strong.  The Bayou Queen died peacefully in the arms of Son.

  We will miss our dear friend.  We will miss her climbing to the rooftop to wait for the window to be opened at her whim.  We will miss her strange howls that sent chills up the spine of those not familiar with this sweet cat.  We will miss her purrs, her stretches and her finicky ways.  The Queen is dead.  Our hearts are broken.  Rest in peace, Little One.  

When the Queen Speaks.....

  A lot of work has been taking place around the Little Bayou House.  The yard is starting to look a bit tamer and now more work has started on the house itself.  It seems that fighting termites,replacing rot from hurricane surge water and upkeep due to just general age, is a full time job.  Now to all of that hustle and bustle, add the chore of putting in the spring gardens and the place is buzzing.  Work to be done!  Work to be done! Hustle!

  In the midst of all of this, the Queen demands her attention and, more oft than not, that calls for a cease in work.  When the Queen speaks, we follow her commands.  What the Queen wants, she gets.  Nothing gets in the way of her commands.  The Queen, in this case, is Ms. Put, the old Bayou Cat.  She rules the place and if she decides to plop herself right in the middle of your freshly dug garden, so be it.  If she demands to be fed, petted, let inside or let outside, her will is met.  When the Bayou Queen graces you with her presence, all activity comes to a screeching halt.  You just have to love this old cat!

  My brother so graciously (yeah, right) donated a table to me.  Just what I needed...a table.  I have more furniture than Carter has liver pills, (Haven't heard that expression in a while, have you?)  so adding a table to the collection seemed a tad ridiculous.  But, how do you refuse when someone is so happy with their gift?  At least this is a patio table and does not need to be indoors.  (Now if I just had a patio, we would be all set!)  Still, the thing is not terrible as I have already found a home for it that is not the Little Bayou House.   The table is just residing here for the duration until it is hauled away!  But it was that table that the Bayou Queen decided was just for her.  She loves it!  The table has a small shelf beneath the smoky colored glass top and it was there that Ms. Put wanted to nap.  Sounds good except that the shelf is merely a scroll of iron and is not solid.  Being as the Bayou Queen is quite old (we estimate a little past 20 years), she kept falling off of the scrollwork. Son, concerned that she would hurt herself, cut a few boards to slip on the shelf.  Nothing fancy but the cat loved it.  Every day as we are working, she hops up on her personal lounging spot and enjoys the warmth of the sun.  She is right in the midst of our work area so feels comfortable enough to go in a sounds sleep without worry of being harassed by the Bayou Princess Cat, Ms. Nycto.  

  I am supposing that the table will have to stay put long enough for the Bayou Queen to tire of it.  The novelty of her perch will last until we move to a different spot to work. Then, she will find a new place to snooze....or we will have to create a "throne" for her napping pleasure. Either way, I am sure we will bow to her commands and do all we can to make her comfortable.  Yep, we do love our Queen!  

They tolerated...

 Sometimes I think that animals have far greater wisdom than humans.  They also seem to have a greater sense of loyalty and even apparently of tolerance.  Take old Ms. Put, for instance.  The Bayou Queen has aged drastically in the past few months.  Her health is failing along with her senses.  She seems to be nigh on deaf, blind and may have even lost her sense of smell.  Here lately, she wants to stay inside more and more.  The cooler nights have found her hovering close to either the wood stove or a space heater.  This is all fine by me as I do not have to worry about her being attacked by the coyotes.  She is comfortable, warm and safe from any predators.  

  Her little kingdom was recently sent into a tailspin by the invasion of family.  While I knew she would not tolerate another cat being brought into the house, I was in hopes that she would warm up to the idea of kids bouncing around the house and would see fit to ignore the old dog, PJ, if he was not to her liking,  Ms. Put and old Ms. Ez seemed to be best friends before Ms. Ez passed.  She did well with the kids and eventually let Mary Ruth pet her.  All was good.  Then the last few days saw a big change of events.  Ms. Put tolerated not ignored PJ! 

  It seemed that both the dog and the cat sensed that neither meant harm to the other.  While I cannot say that they were best of friends at least they did not squabble.  It was nice to observe how the two managed to get along well enough that they spent a good bit of time relaxing near one another. The big. old dog and the frail, little cat both tolerated...and did it well!

The Queen of the Bayou...Long May She Reign

  As we age, things change.  Our appearance, our tastes and, most of all, our senses and abilities.  It is the same in the critter world.  Wild animals have relatively short lifespans while domesticated pets live longer. Obviously, this is due to the care we give our pets. This is true for all pets but I am referring specifically to cats.  If all goes well with a domesticated cat, it can live to a ripe old age...indoors.  If the cat is an outdoor pet, its lifespan is significantly shorter.  Why?  Well, not only is it exposed to wild critters that can injure it or can infect the pet with disease causing bacteria, there is always the human threat.  More cats meet their demise being hit by a car than we think.  It takes a pretty savvy cat to avoid the treacherous roadways since cats are curious and always on the roam.  While an indoor cat usually lives at least 15 years (some up to 25), a cat that spends most of its days and nights outside, never reach that age....usually.

  Ms. Put came to the Bayou some 20 plus years ago.  She was a wee kitten that had been ruthlessly tossed from a moving car.  At first, I can imagine she was quite disoriented, dazed, hurt and confused.  Once she gathered her wits about her, she made the long trek to the Little Bayou House.  Her walk took her through the muckiest part of the creek and down through the back of the Bayou.  She had to climb through brambles, over downed trees and through mud that could have sucked her completely under.  She did this while trying to avoid predators that were waiting at every step.  Fox, coyotes, bobcats, hawks, snakes, alligators, even raccoons and snapping turtles would have taken a lunge at her given the chance but she finally came to the clearing behind the house.  Here, she was not sure if the people would be hateful like her previous family or if they would take pity on her.  She was so hungry that she took the chance.  

  It took (daughter) Elizabeth hours to finally convince the tiny kitten to lap a bit of milk.  Then, as Elizabeth reached out to stroke the little animal, the soon-to-be-named "PuttyTat" bit her hand!  That did not deter the little girl from snatching up the kitten and bringing her inside to announce that "We have to keep her!  She bit me!" (That seems to be the prerequisite for keeping any cat around here!) The kitten's name was shortened to "Put" and she soon settled in to call the place home.  At the time, we had no idea what we were getting into.  It was weeks later, that we discovered that instead of adopting one cat, we had inadvertently adopted two.  Put's identical brother was here, as well.  What were we to do but keep him, also?  He was dubbed "Tup" which was Put spelled backwards.  Two for the price of one, I suppose. The kittens joined the family...oh, so long ago.

  Well, kittens and kids have a tendency to grow and mature.  The little girl grew up and moved away, Tup grew up and roamed such as male cats are prone to do but Put grew up and stayed.  Eventually, I started calling her Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, as she ruled the whole place.  The cat became such a part of our family that, to this day, whatever she wants is law.  She is a beautiful part of this family.

  But now comes the sad part.  Ms. Put has aged far past that playful age and she is starting to show a bit of wear and tear.  Her eyesight is failing, her hearing is gone and her sense of smell has diminished.  Her days are spent sleeping on the wicker lawn chair while her nights are spent sleeping near my bed.  She still has a healthy appetite but that has changed from hunting her own to being fed specialty cat food.  We do whatever we can to make her remaining time with us comfortable.  At least she is still relatively healthy....old...extremely old but healthy. I love this old cat and dread the day when she will no longer be with us.  Funny how animals can worm their way into our hearts. The Queen of the Bayou....Long May She Reign!

She is watching...always watching!

  Animals never cease to amaze me.  In fact, I guess it would be more appropriate to say that at times they confuse me.  Take Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, for example.  This old cat has always preferred being outside.  She would literally throw hissy fits if the door was not opened at the exact time she required it to be.  She might come inside to eat, visit or even nap but that was never a long term thing...until recently. The cat is in the midst of her longest ever run of being inside.  She has not even gone to the door one time in the past eight days.  The last sunny day we had, I actually tried to coax her out...wasn't happening.  She stared at me as if I was slap nuts.  I guess I am.

  As if her change in living spaces is not enough, now she has decided that I am her ward.  She is my guardian.  The cat sleeps near the bed on a wicker chair.  She follows me wherever I go (as long as it is not out the door!)  She watches my every move even while she is supposedly sleeping!  Although, it is hard to see, when I took the above photograph, she was sleeping with her eyes open!  It is starting to get a bit eerie! Why the sudden interest in me?  She has always tolerated me before this past week.  Now I cannot shake loose of her!  It makes me ponder.  One does hear tales of cats sensing medical problems in humans or that they have premonitions of misdeeds about to occur.  Then there are the stories of cats being sensitive to future missteps and how they guide people to the right path.  Whatever the case may be, the cat is definitely doing her job!

  Darling Daughter Elizabeth mentioned that Ms. Put may be trying to comfort me (or perhaps seeks comfort) after the loss of Ms. Ez, the old Bayou Dog. Lets hope it is that and nothing more.  In the meantime, she is most welcome to be wherever she desires.  After being in the family for nigh on twenty years now, she deserves only the best.

Leave it be!

  It has only been a mere two weeks since Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog's passing and already people are asking me if I am going to get another doggy friend.  LEAVE IT BE!  While I am quite sure the folks have good intentions and do care about my well-being, I AM NOT READY!  It would sort of feel like I am demeaning the friendship that we shared if I quickly tried to "replace" her.  Nothing will ever come close to filling the void left by this dog.  Sure, we have had animal friends before that have come and gone but none quite as part of the family as Ms. Ez...other than Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, also known as the cat.  (Not to be confused with the Bayou Princess, Ms. Nycto...the OTHER cat.) I pretty much spent the entire last ten years with Ms. Ez.  Our days were spent together and she slept next to my bed.  Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and pretty much three hundred and sixty-five days out of the year, she was my steady friend, partner in crime and sounding board.  I repeat...I AM NOT READY...so don't try to shove another dog down my throat.  It ain't happening...yet.  Some day...maybe.  Just not now.

  Anyway, that said, I awoke this morning with a cat hacking up a hairball next to my bed.  Since Ms. Ez is no longer in her usual spot, Ms. Put has decided that I need comforting.  She sleeps in the same spot vacated by Ez.  It is a big difference.  Ez never coughed up hairballs, for one thing, and I never had to pay attention to where I placed my feet if I got up during the night.  The old white dog was easy to spot even in the darkness while the black cat blends a little too well with the surroundings.  The hacking sound startled me a bit.  I rolled over to check the cat and came face to face with a dog!  Geez!  I was not expecting that!

  The dog in question was not a real pooch but rather the "wolf" or "Rougarou" (which is another fine name for a werewolf in Cajun legends).  This wolf is a shapeshifter of sorts as it was once a wire reindeer but I transformed it into the wolf for the clue hunt.  We needed a wolf prop as part of the clues so the reindeer received a massive makeover.  Black fake fur, handmade red glass eyes and a bit of leather completely turned the deer into a huge wolf.  Since the clue hunt is over for another year, all props have been removed and stored...except the wolf.  Just where do you store a larger than life dog?  For the time being, it is obviously being stored right next to my bed!  Waking up to find a wolf staring at you is a tad unnerving even if it is not real!

  After coaxing my heart to stop pounding, I checked the cat.  She looked at me innocently as if to say "Why did you wake me?  Where is food?" Well, that settled that.  If the nigh on twenty year old Queen wishes to dine, I shall serve.  I tumbled out of bed and headed to the kitchen.   A can of cat food for the Queen and a mug of coffee for me....not a bad morning treat after facing the Rougarou!  And for all you well-meaning folks out there who think I need another dog.....I have one!  I have a large, black wolf and I am perfectly happy with that!

Sweet or Sour?

  Cats can be the most aggravating or the most lovable animals in the universe.  They ignore you or they adore you.  They love to be petted or will scratch the tar out of you.  They can almost communicate with you with their meows or will sit and glare at you for hours.  Cats are fickle...definitely fickle.  Let it be known that I have (or rather they have me) two of positively the most aggravating yet adoringly lovable cats to ever exist.  They do, indeed, bite, scratch, hiss and howl but they also love being petted and cuddled...when they desire.

   Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, has changed her habits this month.  She knows that winter is on its way so she has taken to sleeping indoors at night.  This might also have something to do with the fact that yet another stray cat has wandered into the area.  The newcomer is not welcome by the other two and, since she is the older, she lets Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, handle the dirty work of the nightly squabbles. Come morning, Ms. Put wishes to bask in the sunshine so she patiently waits at the door until I grant her wishes.  Out she goes for the day.  This morning, I was certain that the spat would be between the two resident cats as Nycto was lounging not far from the door.  To assure that the old cat would not have to contend with the young whippersnapper, I quietly watched from the window.  Ms. Nycto eyed the wanderings of Ms. Put but never moved an inch.  All was well.

  I had to smile when I spied Nycto and her choice of snoozing spots.  She had claimed the outdoor wicker coffee-table as her own.  The lower shelf fit the bill perfectly as her new bed.  She filled the entire shelf with her massive body and copious amounts of fluff.  While she napped, her tail bobbed over the edge of the table and flicked grass blades into a frenzy.  What a pretty sight she was!  The inky blackness was in stark contrast to the bright red of the wicker and showy greenery around her. My sweet kitty appeared to be in a perfect state of bliss.  I eased over to her side and she stared at me with her large, green eyes.  She blinked but never moved.  Thinking this was an invitation for a petting session, I reached down to stroke her head!  The cat shot out of the other side of the table like I had doused her with ice water!  So much for lovable, sweet cats!  Oh, well...they are both well-loved regardless of the fact that they are fickle!

Share and share alike!

  As a rule, tempers flare more often during the heat of the summer. There is just something about being miserably hot that also makes us "hot under the collar".  On the Bayou, we have more than our share of hot days and add to that extremely high humidity, well, you get some pretty uncomfortable days.  Now take two beings that are not extremely fond of each other and throw into the mix and that can spell trouble. This is why I found two of my critters in an rather unusual situation today.

  I walked into the living room on about one o'clock in the afternoon, to find Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, and Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, sprawled out on the floor just inches from each other. On any other day, the two simply tolerate each other.  I am sure Ms. Ez would not mind being friends but the Bayou Queen simply does not abide by commoners. She would just as soon bite or scratch the "nothings'" heads clean off as look at them. The intolerable heat had made the two adversaries become mutually tolerant of one another.  This was the only space in the entire house that had a nice breeze and each wanted their share.

  I enjoyed the truce while it lasted.  Once Ms. Put realized that I was in the same room, she demanded that I open the door to let her escape. She put on airs and pretended to be miffed that she had been forced to share accommodations with a mere dog.  Ms. Ez, on the other hand, let the Queen pass undeterred.  As matter of fact, the old dog did nothing but thump her tail a few times and went back to snoozing.  

  Yep, it is only the first part of June and the heat has already changed attitudes here on the Bayou.  Hopefully, all attitudes will stay as peaceful as these two.  I guess there is really no reason to go fighting like cats and dogs....errr...well, you get the idea.

Silhouettes and Sunrises!

 I have this urge to jump out of bed each morning just to head down the board path to the pier.  There, I can sit and enjoy the sunrise and start my day in a most delightful manner.  Lets just say that I had good intentions of doing that this morning but something got in my way.  

  I did wake at the usual 4:45 a.m. but I was transfixed by an image on the window and, try as I might, I could not rise.  Sometime during the night, Ms. Put, the old Bayou Queen, decided that the east window was the perfect bed.  She evidently slept peacefully enough and was just rising, too.  The cooling breeze coming through the open window must have appealed to her as much as it did to me.  Now, with the sky starting to brighten, she was peering out onto the yard as other creatures were starting to rouse.  She took great interest in the happenings of the morn and was quite oblivious to my photographing her. 

  The reddening sky set a perfect backdrop for the black cat.  The silhouettes of the trees and the cat herself made for a rather striking image.  I suppose in all of this, I have learned that sometimes even the prettiest of sunrises can be seen from one's bed...especially when the Bayou Queen graces the event with her presence.  

A Cat, a Hawk and a Little Bird

  Whether it is a sign of a hard winter that will take its toll on much of the wildlife or whether it has just been a prolific summer for birds, there has been a lot of nesting going on around the Bayou. Normally during late summer, the birds fatten themselves up for the coming winter. They are not having families that take a lot of care and are physically draining for the mother bird.  The little ones born in the spring are well on their way to adulthood and can fend for themselves.  They are not dependent on their parents.  Late nesting produces little ones that will not have fully developed into maturity by winter and therefore it will be doubtful they will survive the cold when food is short.  But, on the other hand, as a matter of survival of a species, there could be an innate urge to mass reproduce if there is an indication of a severe weather phenomenon. Survival of the fittest and all of that.

   I noticed a small Brown Thrasher out by the compost this afternoon and thoughts of its chances of survival this winter were quite grim.  The poor little thing seemed lost as it was.  I can only imagine its struggles during the cold.  While I was watching the little bird, things took a turn for the worse for it.  Its woes had already begun.  A Cooper's Hawk swooped down and tried to make supper of the juvenile Brown Thrasher.  There was a bit of a toss and tumble event going on when Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen wandered into the picture.  Now she would have normally made quick work of the little bird but just her presence saved its life.  Although unintentional, when she meandered around the canebrake, the hawk became startled.  That momentary lapse in attention was just what the little thrasher needed to make a hasty retreat into the compost pile.  Ms. Put had no intention whatsoever of attacking the hawk (hawks have been known to attack cats!) but the hawk had no way of knowing that.  It eyed the Bayou Queen with a wary countenance.  You could just see the concern in its face.  The standoff only lasted a few seconds but the cat won.  The hawk, still hungry, flew to the top of the pine tree and let out a cackling alarm.  Ms. Put continued her leisurely stroll past the compost without even paying heed to the bird.  Little Bird hid beneath the morning glories that covered the fence.  All was well.

   This was one of the few times that I have ever gone outside without my camera.  The chance of a lifetime photographing the true to life incident would have been exciting.  Once I did retrieve the camera, the hawk and Ms. Put were long gone.  Little bird came out for a single picture before he made a clean break for the middle of the canebrake!  Stay put, Little Bird, stay put!   You have a lot to learn before the bleak winter ahead.