Ode to Allie's Prey, or Look What the Cat Dragged In

Today Allie brought in a hummingbird. Late this afternoon I heard cat commotion from the entryway, and familiar with this scenario, I arrived in a flash to see a tiny bird flapping up the wall, with my cat Allie in hot pursuit. I rushed to get a towel to rescue the pathetic little creature. Now quiet on the floor, I covered it with the cloth and tenderly took it outside. Sensing a tiny heartbeat in my hand, I couldn't help but peek. As I opened the towel in the sunlight,  the bird metamorphosed from a brown, limp lump into a magical creature sporting a  fluorescent-magenta circle on it's tiny head. It still looked half-dead, so I suspected it would not recover. But, repeating my usual ritual, I took it across the street, far from harm, and laid it on a soft, sun-warmed bed of leaves, possibly its final resting place. From this perspective I could observe the vivid coloration on the bird's brow, and was again awestruck by its beauty. I nudged the inert body a few times, and was stunned when the bird suddenly shot straight up into the air, flying freely and peeping joyously. A successful rescue!

 Freed hummingbird trying it's wings

Other rescues have not ended so happily. Therefore, in memory of all the fallen creatures brought in by Allie the cat, I have decided to make a list: ( N.B.  I never put Allie's victims in my green bin, nor in the large curbside bin, which would be permissible). In keeping with a certain innate respect, I always lay them to rest on the earth. And sometimes, they actually rouse themselves and scurry away.

Allie at work

Allie's "Gifts"

• 5 birds including a Steller's jay, a sparrow, some inconclusive feathers and the humming bird
• 3 garter snakes all deposited near the door
• countless mice, large and tiny, alive and dead
• one rat  (dead, fortunately)
• bugs and moths of all descriptions

FEATURED PAINTING

Frederick the Literate

My favorite work by the well-known painter of Americana, Charles Wysocki (1928-2002), depicts an old library. The shelves where kitty is sleeping are crammed with books with titles that would interest a cat like Allie:

Delicious Field Mice I Have Known
Lusting For the Giant Rodent
The Feline Comedy
The Three Mousketeers
Field Guide to the Garbage Can
A Tale of Two Kitties
How to Catnap with a Smile
How to Smell a Rat