Apologies to Steven Spielberg (Raiders Of The Lost Ark, 1981).
Missy shows up several times during the day and night to snack on her kibble, letting me know in no uncertain terms when her food gets low. Cats are sure they're being starved if they can see the bottom of the dish. Lately I've noticed that the bowl is emptier sooner, but put it down to the cooler weather and thought she might be creating a protective fat layer. That may be true, but it's not the real reason for the depleted supply. Missy's dish is on the deck, under the roofed portion next to the dining room for her comfort and my ease. I looked out yesterday to check her food status and was surprised by a flurry of blue. Bold Steller's jays were none too happy at having their buffet raid interrupted, but only went as far as the deck rail to wait. The California scrub jays are never a problem like their crested cousins, preferring to fend for themselves. The scrubs are always with us, the Steller's are seasonal. I guess there's enough food to go around for fowl and feline.
The people who lived here first abandoned a dog and a cat when they moved. I have plenty to say about that...another story for another day. The cat, a huge, long-haired Siamese/Persian, was an outdoor cat and liked it that way. I put out food and water on the deck for Ming (the people had at least told me his name), but wondered about his eating habits because I kept finding food bits in his water dish. Cats are usually fastidious creatures and this guy was pretty messy. Big as he was, it seemed to me that he was eating an inordinate amount of food. Those mysteries were solved when I discovered we had been colonized by raccoons. Missy has to go out by the chicken(less) pen for her water.
I see by the tracks that the goats are sharing their alfalfa with the deer.
Ah, the joys of country living.
Stay safe. Be well.
1 comment:
I have not seen a scrub jay in years, but we had them in San Gabriel. In fact, one year my folks...er...the Easter Bunny...hid some dyed, hard boiled eggs (The plastic ones had not yet been invented for that purpose) in the front yard, and one was in a drain spout with a small rock in front of it so that it was not so easy to see. My folks couldn't believe it when we found the rock gone and part of the egg, shell and all, missing. I was too young to know how they knew it was a scrub jay...but he was a hungry raider!!!
Post a Comment