A Feral Cat, Tea Olives and the Bayou Princess

  This morning's hike was a quick one as I heard Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess Cat, howling like no one's business.  That meant only one thing...another cat was in the yard.  While Ms. Nycto may look huge and may have a loud howl, that is about the extent of her ability to defend herself.  She is after all...a princess....and, well, one of royalty does not tussle.  Her best idea is to climb the nearest tree not knowing that other cats can climb equally as well if not better.  The tree climbing idea is not a bad one except Ms. Nycto has yet to figure out how to get back down out of a tree.  She sits and meows plaintively in hopes that Son will climb up after her.  My idea?  Leave her be.  She will learn that what goes up...must come down.  Her doleful calls pull at the heartstrings, however, so I try to divert the whole event.  

  It was when I went through the east garden gate that I had to stop in my tracks regardless of an impending cat brawl.  Wafting in the air was the sweet scent of peaches...or apricots...or something!  Yep, the Tea Olive was in bloom and the delightful aroma overpowered the urge to rescue a helpless princess.  The tiny blossoms had captured my attention!  Oh, my goodness!  There appear to be enough that I may dry them for future use in tisanes!  

  Tea Olive is a shrub that has the tiniest blossoms but the largest scent.  The one quarter inch blooms can fill an entire garden with a peachy fragrance like none other.  These blossoms are often infused in tisanes to give the tea-drinker a most pleasant experience.  The blossoms can also be added to jellies, baked goods, soaps and, well, just about anything you wish to have a delightful scent.  

  My pause at the garden gate was soon interrupted by the Bayou Princess.  She had come to glare at me as if to say, "Why did you not come when I summoned you?"  She looked none the worse for wear and prissed her way to the front step and demanded to be let back inside.  She had already had enough frustration for the day and needed a nap!  I gladly consented so I could continue my hike in peace.

My Sweet Halloween Kitty!

  By rights, Halloween cats should be fierce!  They should be scary-looking!  They should howl and hiss and take swipes at anyone who nears them.   They should not be sweet, loving kitties who want to be scratched on the ears and receive belly rubs.  But...my Halloween Kitty is just that.  While Ms. Nycto is not very useful as a mouser, she is adorable and has wormed her way into our hearts since the first day she showed up here on the Bayou.

  Back when she first came up to the doorstep seeking food and shelter, this cat was adamant about this being her home.  I tried to shoo her away.  "Go back home, Cat!" I pleaded.  I did not need another critter to feed!  She walked around the house and came back to the same door.  "Shoo!" I said again!  She walked the same path and came back for the third time.  Well, what could I do but feed her since she was so persistent.  Once the cat was eating, I tried to hold her. Nope...not happening!  She bit me!  Alrighty, then!  I immediately told Son that we were going to keep this cat.  It seems that I have several prerequisites for a cat to become a member of the family.  First, they must be black and second, they must bite me at our first meeting.  (Not really but that is how the first meeting of all the adopted strays has gone in the past.  We have adopted a string of black cats and all decided to take a chunk out of my hand at some point!)  Needless to say, Ms. Nycto became a beloved part of the Bayou Family.

  Since the passing of Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, Ms. Nycto is slowly filling the reign as monarch. Even though the two cats would tangle occasionally, I think Ms. Nycto misses her rival as Ruler of the Bayou.  She seems to be constantly searching for the old cat.  Never before has she ventured up on the rooftop where Ms. Put spent a good deal of her time.  Nor has she roamed room to room all the while meowing.  She senses that the other cat is not here any longer but she is unsure of her new found royalty status.  

  This morning, I found Ms. Nycto had spent the night on the bench on the small deck.  She had slept by the fall mums under the watchful eyes of two steadfast owls.  Perhaps she knew she was in the perfect spot to be a Halloween Cat or perhaps she just felt safer with her two guardians.  My sweet Halloween Kitty!

The "Cat"astrophe!

  Ok, so I am definitely used to Bayou Cats and not "city-slicker" cats. Not that I have anything against sweet house kitties.  They are delightful but I am more accustomed to cats that can take care of themselves against all odds.  I am used to Ms. Put, the feisty, fickle feline that has resided at the Little Bayou House for the past seventeen years or so.   I am not used to Nycto, the new cat, with her posh ways.  Ms. Put is evidently not used to such a pampered cat either as she and Nycto do not seem to get along too well.  They keep their distance from each other and merely abide one another.  They are definitely NOT friends. 

Nycto on one of her peaceful days.

   Late this evening, I saw a black cat wandering about the hillside. There is nothing unusual about this as both of my cats are black.  Ms. Put is what is called a Tuxedo Cat with the elegant white collar and white paws while Nycto is solid black. Like I said, I did not think much about seeing a black cat slinking about the Bayou or at least not until I saw Ms. Put race across the yard and attack the critter.  Uh oh!  An all out cat fight was in the works!  I had better put a stop to this right now.  I hurried down the hill to fuss at the two cats.  As I neared the duo, one jumped to its feet and turned to stare at me.  Ummm..this was not Nycto. This was not Ms. Put.  This was a huge cat!  Alrighty then.  At that very moment, little Ms. Put pounced on the large, unknown cat!  She snarled and hissed and let the claws fly!  My little dynamo was tearing this thing to pieces!  The large mystery cat tore around the side of the yard behind the persimmon tree and Ms. Put collapsed on the sand beneath the old oak tree.  My kitty!  My poor little kitty!  I ran to check on her.  Whew!  I was relieved to find that she was ok..exhausted but ok.  She stood up and meowed.  Not a loud, menacing meow but rather a soft, cooing meow.  Hmmm?  That seemed odd as did the fact that she stood staring up.  

Tiny Ms. Put getting a well-deserved meal after fending off the huge, menacing stray cat.  

   I followed her gaze up the nearby pine tree to see Nycto high up in the tree.  She had obviously been attacked by the intruding cat and sought refuge in the tall tree.  Oh, no.  Now what?  That cat had no idea how to get back down out of the tree!  She was stuck!  And stuck on a limb about thirty feet up the tree!  Ms. Put had come to the rescue of the very cat that irritated her daily but how in the world was I to come to the rescue of Nycto now?  It was growing darker by the minute and the cat would not come down out of that tree!  I did the only thing that I knew might work.  I called to my son.  He has a way with critters especially cats.  After about an hour, he was able to coax Nycto down the tree.  It was not a pretty descent by any means but at least she came down on her own.  Now comes the problem of what to do about the accosting cat. Trying to corral two outdoor cats that are not congenial in one house overnight might not seem like a big deal but add one terrorizing cat on the outside of the house and it proves to be a predicament.  The snarling, hissing, howling and growling becomes incessant as two cats pace inside the house and one nasty, foul-tempered beast prowls about the yard.

Poor Nycto!  She became stranded in a tall pine tree after being attacked by a marauding stray cat.  Don't worry!  Michael rescued her and all is well now!

  This whole episode comes on the heels of a news story of a cat defending a little boy against an attack by a large dog.  Cats can, and will, take on any critter that they deem a threat.  Usually, the cat wins.  Ms. Put came to the aid of Nycto when she was attacked by the large, intruding cat.  What makes this amazing to me is Nycto is quite large compared to Ms. Put and the intruder was larger still.  Ms. Put is a tiny thing that weighs in about six pounds when she is at her optimum weight.  Nycto is a good nine pounds.  The intruder was nigh on twice the size of Ms. Put but she did not let that faze her one bit.  She stood her ground and fought. Ms. Put was also concerned about her (non) friend, Nycto, after the battle.  She is one tough, little cat!  She is my hero for the day!  Love this kitty!