What "presents" do your cats bring you ? & what do you do with them.
Obviously in the summer the usual lizards, though usually the tail first, Brutus likes to bring me shrews & field mice that he finds in the neighbours' woodpile.
I had an awful experiance last summer when he was only a year old & hadn't learnt not to leave the presents on the patio the mouse ran around the house all day until the next, when it found the door.
Daisy brings lizards.
I've also had a canary (yes a yellow Tweetypie), a viper, housemartins, frogs…
This morning it was a thrush, I've got a trail of blood drops in the snow from the field next door.
All these go to the present cemetry; ie: under the laurel tree where they can't get at them.
Love the picture. She looks determined to make sure it doesn't move!
I only panic when I find 'bits'. I found a mouse bottom once with the tail attached. I spent hours (literally) searching on and under beds and sofa looking for the rest but never found it. I was paranoid for days.
Oscar was like that Valerie. We saved him from being drowned at 4 weeks old - by a Cornish farmer! Oscar had a broken leg and his mother had died, so we took him on. Without fail every night he would insist on a cuddle - he'd sit with his front paws wrapped around your neck and squeeze tight, we always said he was forever grateful!! He was a bit spoilt too - here he is 'at the table'-
I could detain Chloe but Binka headbutts the window so hard I'm terrified he'll break through. I wonder if there's such a thing as a 'cat whisperer' before I simply resort to a moggy straitjacket.
Oh my god, that's the story of animal story that can literally bring me to tears. So many people look at animals as just annoying beasts whose soul job should be to rid the area of vermin but otherwise should stay out of the way. They have no idea. So sad.
They are hugely intelligent beings Valerie, and never fail to amaze!
Our cat Oscar, who sadly died of cancer 3 years ago, was very caring. At our cat Rescue Centre we often have kittens abandonned at the top of the drive. Oscar would sit with them, not moving until we went to see what it was, then he would quietly walk away, knowing his duty was done. We found him one day sat next to a poorly, tiny kitten who, we can only think had been literally thrown out of a moving car window. I'm sure he protected the little thing, keeping it alive until we returned home.
The ferocious Titch was bizarre though - she'd take on a full grown dog, terrorise the snakes, frogs and field mice but then we had an episode that had me in stitches. I used to have birds nesting under the eaves. One 'nurturing' mum kept throwing her chick out - weird black thing with huge feet and beak. Titch the Cold Blooded Killer picked it up and brought it in very gently in her mouth and put it on the floor. We put Thumper, as we called him, back in the attic. 5 minutes later Titch was bringing him back in. This literally went on for about 3 hours. I think perhaps the mother then gave up in exasperation as we didn't see him fall down again. But the Killer Cat repeatedly helped him. Never worked that out.
I'm not surprised that your ace pitpull was a tortie, Valerie!! Always full of character those!!
The most exotic we've had is a bright green Budgie. I haven't a clue where it came from but it ended up in the rafters on the terrace. Trying to keep 2 cats at bay to catch the poor thing, Tiggie came from nowhere, snatched it and ran off into the woods! I chased him for a full half an hour before he 'gave up'. It was still alive but sadly died of shock by next day.
Our labrador cross, certanly knows her place amongst the cats!
Zorro stays in at night so not too many presents since he first moved in 18 months ago.
Plenty of lizards during the summer months though, and snakes. A few birds [which I suspect the hawks had actually got and Zorro just picked up the spoils. And a baby bunny once. Nothing quite as spectacular as a dog though lol... but there are donkeys, deer and sanglier nearby so one never knows!!
Many moons ago, I had a rescue cat called "Titch" who thought she was a pitbull. She used to catch grass snakes and try to bring them into the house. She learned that if she came running with the snake dangling from either side of her mouth like Fu Man Chu all the doors would be slammed shut. So she would come with a 'smile' on her face, walk into the kitchen and spit out a snake out on the floor. I never worked out how she would get them to coil up so neatly.
She nearly brought home a labrador/golden retriever once (couldn't work out what it was - it was running so fast). It had wandered into our garden and was hiding in the trees - until I heard it help and it flew out with Titch attached tooth and claw to its rump. She refused to let go and rode it like a tortoiseshell jockey until it went out through the front gate. She then sauntered back into the house looking extremely pleased with herself.
Now, of course, I have the two 'normal' hunters. When my little boy says 'Mum, there's a rat on your bed' I know he's not exaggerating.
