For all cat lovers – if you keep birds don’t read this

The commotion and shouting was coming from the back yard.  As I raced down the stairs into the kitchen a white streak of fur shot through the cat flap with a bird in its mouth.  “My God” I thought in astonishment “the cat’s finally caught something”.  Being white, lazy and pretty clumsy my cat was more of a sit on her arse type than a fisher or  a catcher.  The arrival of a new half-wild kitten into the household had obviously galvanised her into action.  Merry would on a regular basis bring back birds, rodents and anything else she could lay her claws on.  How can I forget that soft tickling feeling underfoot as I walked into the kitchen and discovered that I was treading on a carpet of feathers.  Or the smell of dead mouse with the small amount offal left as a gift for me.  Anyway Merry had thrown down the gauntlet and my white princess, feeling left out, took up the challenge.

The wailing continued and I poked my head out the back door.   I was astonished to see the woman in the house behind me charging down my pathway in pursuit of my feline.    

“Your cat” she shouted “Your cat has stolen my bird”.  I ran back into the house, chased the cat around the house, cornered it and wrestled the bird out of its mouth.  It was dead and a little muddy- which was strange.    

The woman is going to sue me for compensation I thought as I stared down at the slightly chewed, soggy, yellow canary.  I returned to the garden and proffered the deceased to her offering my condolences. 

“Your cats are uncontrollable” she sobbed.  “First, I find the brown one hanging from  the bird-cage terrorising my Nigel” (apparently the little burgler had entered through a dog flap), and not content with scaring him to death the other one digs him up when we bury him”.

That’s my girls!