My Nemesis

Camouflaged in the grass he waits patiently.

Tail twitching with anticipation he watches intently each bird that passes by.

He is but one of many who grace my yard to cash in on the feathered friends that I provide for them on a daily basis.

Once I caught him in a trap meant for a raccoon and I let him go knowing he was the neighbour’s cat.

Months went by before I saw him again, my nemesis.

In the interval, more came to take his place.

Wild cats, feral cats and a tailless one.

One feline was so agile it leapt from the bottom of the bird feeder right up to where a bird was sitting on a perch and snagged it in one fell swoop.

It was gone before I could utter a sound.

Every morning we scan around the yard for lurkers under trees and shrubs.

They have learned that when we open the door it’s time to scram.

Yelling, stamping, throwing things work well but the best deterrent is a full-on hose shooting jets of water.

Now… we are back to one.

He seems to rule the roost and has forgiven me for my indiscretion of locking him away.

Seeming to now prefer rodents as opposed to birds you will see him wandering in among the logs and lumber stacked up on the opposite side of the property.

Quite happy for him to do so but occasionally I see that glint in his eye and the twitch of the tail that says he’d rather be playing with the birds.

So, I quietly put the trap under the birdfeeder and he silently slinks back towards the woodpile.

Who says you can’t train a cat!