Edgar Allan Poe, A Black Cat and Thunderstorms

   For the past few days, we have been getting daily rains complete with thunder, lightning and wind.  The storms are soothing as I know the gardens are being well-watered.  It is during these storms that cat and I sit snuggled together enjoying each other's company.  As Prince of the Bayou, Mr. Bat demands that I hold him tightly on days like this.  He still has throwback anxiety from when some hateful person flung him from a car window during such a storm years ago.  The thunder and lightning do not bother him but the raindrops on the rooftop do.  So, my work day ends and I gladly cuddle the Prince.  What better way to spend a storm than with cat cuddles!

  Yesterday, the snuggles put me in a chair that gave me a direct view of the french doors and their colorful glass panes,  It was not long before the sun peeped out enough to give those panes a delightful glow!  To the left, Edgar Allan Poe watched over us as the lamp softly glowed beneath him.  This vision brought comfort as I thought just how much I like the way the room is decorated.  While not to many people's taste, it suits mine perfectly.  The room is filled with quaint objects such as antique lamps, furniture and clocks...lots and lots of clocks!  Then there are the quirky "finds" from thrift stores, roadsides and friends.  Nothing in this entire room meets the "expected" living room aesthetic...from the almost black walls to the red velvet loveseat and purple chairs.  It is just eccentric and eclectic enough to meet my standards...and Bat, the cat's.  He and I find comfort here among the oddities.

He Is There...He Is Always There

  For the past ten years (or maybe more), there has a been a resident of the Bayou that has eluded all offers of friendship.  An old, feral cat has been here without ever accepting anything more than an occasional supper and a dry place to sleep.  He avoids eye contact and voices scare him.  I have tried and will continue to try to befriend him.  He is there.  He is always there...just beyond reach...just beyond help.

  This morning as I came off the the pier, I saw him sitting about forty feet from me.  He peered at me through the darkness but scurried off when I spoke to him.  It breaks my heart to see the scraggly animal knowing that winter is not far off.  The best I can do is to continue to offer food and make a small entrance into the greenhouse.  There, at least, he will have some warmth during the cold nights to come.  

  This cat is another of what I call "throwaway pets".  I am not sure how people can sleep at night knowing they abandon poor animals.  This poor fellow has had to endure countless horrors as he tries to survive.  He has braved the coyotes and bobcats.  He has fought to outlast hurricanes and winter storms.  He has struggled to find food and surely is infested with all sorts of parasites.  It simply breaks my heart.  If he only knew I care.  If he only knew he could trust me to be kind and not hurt him like his past family.  Instead, he is just there.

"Eyes" See You!

  If you are getting weary of the tales of Bat, the cat, then just bypass this.  Bat has become an integral part of my everyday life now.  This "throwaway" cat came to the Bayou as a wee kitten rescued by my son-in-law and has decided that this is the life for him.  In a sense, he rescued me.  Now, we seem to be attached to each other and spend most of our time, both inside and out, together.  

  On part of our daily hikes, it is customary for Bat to try to ambush me.  I never know where, nor when, he will pop out of some hiding spot, paw at my foot and dash around like a mad cat.  It is a big game for him and does keep me on my toes.  There is no becoming lackadaisical when you are constantly in danger of being "savagely attacked" by the sweetest cat on earth.  I have to admit that his antics have bemused me more than once.

  Along about six months ago, Son dropped an dead tree that was threatening to fall on the arbor.  Once it was on the ground, I decided that it needed to stay right where it was.  Now, I have a lovely hollow log along the pathway.  I left it merely because Bat seems to think this is "his" log.  It has become his favorite hiding spot for one of the ambushes.  This is all fine and dandy as the cat is as happy as can be in his hiding spot and I am happy because when he is here, there is no surprise attack.  Little does Bat know that, while he is hidden, he can be seen!  Yep, those bright amber eyes literally glow giving his whereabouts away!  Still, he crouches down as if I cannot see him and then out he pounces!  The game continues!  

  Most folks would cringe at having an old log lying about the yard.  While everyone else is nitpicky about clutter, I find that there are times when things need to stay put.  This is one of those times.  Then, again, I am not a clean freak...as everyone knows.  Who cares?  Bat is happy and he deserves it.  The log stays.

World's Laziest Hunter!

   Bat, the cat, is coming into his own now.  He is still technically a kitten as he is not even a year old but he thinks he has the power of a mountain lion.  He thinks that...until one particular feral cat puts him in his place.  That cat is a bit larger and a bit more "street wise".  He has been around the block and can take care of himself.  Bat, being the young whippersnapper he is, torments the older cats until they finally smack him.  I have no problem with that as they have to all live around here and should have a pecking order.  Bat, being the youngest and the newcomer, is on the lowest rung of that order.  Still, he is doing well adjusting to life as it is.  I actually did not have much confidence in his ability to do much more than be a nuisance until today.  Today changed that opinion.  I hope there are many more todays for that cat.

  I was moving sacks of concrete from the front of the house to the shed when I noticed Bat stalking something by the canebrake.  I thought the silly cat was chasing another butterfly or perhaps another bee.  The butterfly flitted away but the bee was caught and immediately released.  Bat had a swollen lip for a day, afterwards.  Suddenly, Bat started flipping something up in the air.  THAT was not bug!  Time to investigate!

  To my surprise, Bat finally made a true catch!  Although not a rat, it was close enough to be promising.  The cat had caught a shrew.  Normally, I do not look as shrews as pests but if this catch can entice Bat to catch some of the rice rats that have moved into the shed and greenhouse, I was willing to let him have the critter.  I watched as he played with it for a bit.  Then, he plopped to the ground and simply batted his prey.  One paw would slowly pat the shrew a bit before Bat appeared to be going to take a nap.  Oh, geez!  Most animals would be fired up after catching their prey.  Not Bat.  He is the world's laziest hunter!  Nap time!

Another Throwaway Cat

   It appears that hateful people are still being hateful.  Yet another "throwaway" cat has arrived at the Little Bayou House.  Why?  Just why?  I can fully understand the occasional need to rehome a pet but to just throw them out as if they were trash is beyond comprehension.  It truly makes my blood boil!  People!  People!  Find a home for your unwanted pet! Do not assume that they can survive on their own. 

  I have been putting out food for several feral cats that have come to call the Bayou their home after being abandoned by their owners.  It does not bother me to feed them but it does irk me to no end that the animals are having to struggle so.  Early this evening, I found that I had a good bit of chicken soup leftover and, well, Son had changed his mind about wanting leftovers three days in a row.  I do not blame him as I was tiring of it, as well.  I, at the same time, found that I was out of the dry cat food that I use for my "outdoor" cats.  So...the cats would eat soup.  I filled the pan with the soup then slipped it near the shed so the cats could eat.  It has been raining all day so the eaves of the shed would shelter the cats as they ate.  I was surprised to see the first one to the pan was a newcomer.  Oh, sweet fella.  I am sorry you were not wanted by your family.

  I watched as the cat ate his fill then crawled back under the shed.  At least, he will have his belly full and will have a dry place to sleep.  It is to be cold and rainy for most of the night so I am sure he appreciates the help given.  So far, not one of the feral cats wished to come inside.  I have tried but they are skittish and untrusting of humans now.  All I can offer is a meal and shelter.  (They have the option of the shed or greenhouse.)

  My hope for humanity has gone down yet another notch.  Critters...I can handle.  People...not so much.

Oh, Bat!

   The "throwaway" cat that my son-in-law rescued from a flooded parking lot seems to be flourishing now that he has a good home.  How people can mistreat others (human or animal) is beyond me.  I guess, as much as I do not wish to believe it, there are some pretty hateful people in this old world.  Anyone who would harm a tiny kitten is likely to not worry about harming their fellow mankind.  What has this world come to?  Saddening, for sure.  

  But, back to Bat, the Cat!  The Bayou Prince has settled in to being the ruler of the Little Bayou House.  He has not been allowed to roam freely about the Bayou since there are a couple of feral tomcats running about the place that would not think twice about killing a newcomer.  Perhaps when he is full grown and can hold his own against such threats, he will be free to go as he pleases.  Bat does not seem to mind the inside life, however, as he has never even tried to go back out that door since Robbie brought him here.  Perhaps he remembers his old life and has decided this cozy place is more to his liking.  Fine by me as he is good company.

  What is really NOT fine by me is that Bat has laid claim to my favorite pieces of furniture.  It appears that these are now HIS favorites and I am banned.  First it was the purple rocking chair and now....the BED!  Ever since we got him, he has wanted to snuggle with me at all times especially in the evenings.  Now, he tries to beat me to the bed so he can get the prime spot!  There is one certain throw pillow that he simply adores and, if it is moved, he is not a happy camper.  My little buddy tugs and tugs on that big, ole pillow until it is situated just so, then, he promptly plops down and snoozes.  Hopefully, he does not grow too much more as he will take up to much space.  I do need some place to sleep!  Silly Bat!

Bat, The Cat, In A Box!

   Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, is growing by leaps and bounds.  With this growth spurt, he is becoming far more active.  When he first came here, he was so malnourished and full of parasites that playing was not an option.  So, he is making up for lost time.  Even though he is "officially" a cat now, his lost time has kept him in the kitten stage for a while longer than usual.  This is fine except when that play starts destroying the Little Bayou House.  Then, Bat is sternly reprimanded with a loud "No!" and perhaps a shot of water from a spritz bottle.  Both seem to be working well.

  This morning, I was busying myself with packing up some of the leftover canning jars.  These will be stored for future use.  The clean bottles were being packed in the original boxes complete with the plastic still on top.  A single slit in the middle allowed me to remove the bottles and now allows me to repack them.  Several of the boxes were sitting on the kitchen floor when Bat spied them.  Cats really DO love boxes!  He weaseled his way through the slit in the plastic and was completely inside the box.  There he stayed batting at anything, real or imaginary, the came close to his hideout.  Crazy cat!

  To keep him even more occupied while I worked, I tossed a small plastic jar of seeds in the box with the cat.  Bat went bonkers and chased that bottle around and around inside the box.  It was comical seeing him trying so hard to catch those seeds!  Bat would spin around in the box, burst out of the top plastic, race around the dining room table, then, dive back into the box!  Son came inside to see what was making all of the racket and had to laugh when he saw Bat in the box!  Silly cat!

He Is Home

   It is strange how much happiness and love can be shared between humans and animals.  While there are those who say animals do not have emotions, I will beg to differ.  They do.  They have as many emotions as humans do.  Anyone who truly takes the time to interact with critters understands this.  

  Take, for instance, the poor, little kitten that my son-in-law rescued and brought here.   When it came to the Little Bayou House, it was so malnourished and unkempt that we thought for sure it was only weeks old.  Instead, it was months old but had been starved and stunted.  Now, with love and proper care, the cat has flourished and has tripled its weight.  But, back to emotions.  The first night that the little fellow was here, he was so frightened that I held him all night.  Or rather, he held me.  He literally wrapped his paws around my arm and refused to let go.  We slept like that the whole night.  I got the idea that he was afraid that if he let go of me, he may wind up back on the streets.  Our poor, little throwaway cat wanted to have a home.

  Now, that he has come to know this as his home, he purely is blissful.  You can literally see in his actions that he is fully appreciative of his surroundings and of his new friends (us).  The cat tries his best to please us in every way and to show us his love.  Gentle pats from his paws lets you know that he cares.  He does not want anything when he does this.  He pats my arm or face then settles in next to me for a nap. Animals do show compassion.  Animals can show love.  People, on the other hand, sometimes forget how to have either.

  Folks, be kind do animals.  There is no reason in the world for them to be abandoned.  There is no reason in the world for them to be abused.  Just be kind.