A Cat Story

Breezy Boy and Bonnie 11-14-08

I know this is a birding blog and I usually don't write about my pets, but I had an unusual event happened recently and I can't explain this. I have had pets all my life but I have never had this happen before.

I currently own two cats which I keep inside at all times. I adopted Breezy Boy from a shelter about 5 years ago now and I adopted Bonnie to be his friend a year later. When you bring a new cat into the house there is usually some adjustment time, but eventually the two became best friends and Bonnie will frequently cuddle with Breezy and even give him a bath. So far, all of this is normal. However, last Thursday night all of this changed.

I arrived home late and exhausted from a trip up to Coolidge to return my grandson to his parents. Before going to bed Gus and I stepped outside to enjoy the lovely star filled night. We were only outside for about a minute or two, but apparently I did not close the patio door completely. When we turned to come inside, Gus asked me if I thought the cats could have gotten out. I didn't see either of them and I said I didn't think so. So we came inside, closed and locked the door, and went to bed.

The next morning we slept late and I didn't get up until around 9 a.m. I proceeded with all my morning chores, including filling bird feeders. When I went around to the side yard to fill the feeders that I can see from my den window I dumped the old seed on the ground, then filled the feeder. For some reason I decided to look down at the seed on the ground, which the quail usually like to clean up. Suddenly I saw this cat's head and one paw reach out from deep inside the brittle bush. I thought, "There's a cat hunting my bird feeders!" Then I thought, "I wonder whose cat this is. It should be out here. It could get eaten by coyotes or owls. I wonder if it will let me catch it." Then I thought, "That looks like Breezy Boy." And then the light dawned in my groggy brain. It IS Breezy Boy!

I gathered my cat up in my arms and rushed inside. He had been outside all night long! He has never spent the night outside before, ever! I was shocked and relieved all at once. Now here's the strange part. When Bonnie saw him, she started growling and hissing. she refused to eat next to him or sleep near him. anytime he comes into the room, she growls and hisses and runs away! She's been doing this for a week now and today I am just beginning to see her thaw. She actually got on the couch and cuddled up with him for a minute and started to wash Breezy's head. Then she growled and jumped down.

Bonnie, the juvenille deliquent 9-7-08.

Anybody have any theories on this? These cats have lived together for over 4 years. What gives? Breezy did not act any different towards Bonnie. Of course, she is my juvenile delinquent and gets into all the trouble in the house, but why would she act this way?

A Short (but true) Story

It’s a cool and cloudy day here in Sycamore Canyon. At 7 a.m. I awake to the sound of a dull buzz going off. I rollover in bed and tap Gus on the side. When he doesn’t respond I shake harder and say, “You need to shut your alarm clock off.” Now, it doesn’t make sense that his alarm clock would be on, since this is Saturday and his alarm doesn’t sound like that, but it is the only thing that makes sense to my groggy mind. Gus rises up on his elbow and looks at his alarm clock and says firmly, “It’s not my alarm clock.”

Well, since I am the investigator of all mysterious noises in this family, I jump out of bed and rush to the kitchen where the sound is louder. I hurry to the kitchen window which is over the sink and peer out. The sound is loudest here. I wonder, is someone working in the wash? No. Is my air conditioning unit trying to come on? How could it be; it’s turned off? Still, I run to check the control panel on the hall wall. Nope. It s off. I open the back door and go outside in my nightgown. The sound it duller out here. Back to the kitchen sink. What is it? Is my house about to blow up? I have a gas stove. I feel panic rising in my chest. My mind races. I’m dizzy from getting up so quickly. I want a drink and I need to pee, but WHAT IS IT!

I am standing next to the counter when I feel my cat, Sweet Bonnie Blue eyes, rub up against me. She is not supposed to be up here, but cats do what they want. I look at her and suddenly reason returns. I walk over and shut off the switch to the garbage disposal. How did it get turned on? Bonnie was up on the counter. She squeezed between the dish drainer and the wall to look out the open window at the birds flocking to my feeders this morning. She must have bumped up against it and flipped the switch. I shake my head and calm my heart. I get a drink of juice from the fridge, then hurry to the bathroom. Finally, I walk over and look out the den window at all the quail, doves and finches mobbing my feeders. Another quail family is feeding peacefully at the seed block with 6 little babies filling their bellies. Gus finally stumbles out of the bedroom to ask what was making the noise. I explain and he tumbles back into bed. I look out the back door at the thick blanket of clouds covering the morning sky. Monday and Tuesday we had highs over 100 degrees. Yesterday we had snow on Mt. Lemmon. This morning it is only 60 degrees here at my house, but this is just a brief reprieve before the triple digits return at the end of next week. I stand by the door looking at the new thistle seed feeder I bought yesterday. It is covered in Lesser Goldfinches. They are so thick on the sides that it looks like someone covered the feeder in Velcro and rolled it in birds! I crack up laughing at the sight. Another birdy morning has started here in Sycamore Canyon!