Friday, October 10, 2008

(editor's note: I got this email from Sister K yesterday and she has given me permission to re-print it here.)

Friends and family,

Just had to share this story about the scare I had this morning. As most of you know, Buck and I have two brown tabby cats, Lizzie and Buster. They're mostly inside cats but sometimes I let them into the backyard if I'm home. I keep an eye on them and constantly check to be sure they're okay. (I've owned at least twenty cats in my lifetime and only two of them have died of old age.) This morning after they had been outside for about ten minutes, I went to the backyard to check on them but they were nowhere to be found. I then went to the front yard and was calling for them when I happened to glance over and saw perhaps one of the biggest birds I've ever seen in my entire life. It was standing on our lawn, regally looking around as if it owned the place. I ran inside to get my Birds of Texas book and my binoculars (most of you know that my eyesight isn't all that great.) I discovered that the huge bird was either a broad-winged or red-tailed hawk. As I was enjoying the majesty of the bird, I noticed that it was guarding something dead at its feet. At first I thought it was a rat but as I was watching it start to eat the hapless fellow, I noticed that the victim had a furry, fluffy brown tail. Much to my horror I began to panic over the possibility that one of our sweet kitties had met an untimely death in a most vicious and dramatic way. Now before you say, "Kathy, it was obviously a squirrel, you dummy," you need to know that I had minutely scanned the dead animal with my binoculars, and all I could see was its brown, variegated tail, little pointed ears and powerful hind legs. It really did resemble Lizzie, our smaller cat. Because I had to know what was the "catch of the day," I walked over to within ten feet of the hawk and threw my Birds of Texas book at it to scare it away. (I was hoping that my eyesight would kick in at that close distance and I could identify the animal.) However, the hawk kept right on eating while it disdainfully eyed my futile and cowardly attempts to run it off. By this time I was totally freaked out, wondering how I was going to explain to Buck that his favorite cat Lizzie had lost her "lease on life" and had become lunch for this grizzly raptor in our front yard. As the hawk finally got tired of my yelling and stamping feet, it flew off with its prey and, much to my relief, I saw that it was indeed a very unfortunate squirrel who had definitely been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although I felt sorry for the squirrel, I was ecstatic to discover that it wasn't one of the family pets! When I walked over to examine the few pieces of fur remaining on the grass, Buster casually ambled out from behind a bush and starting licking his front paws. I then glanced over to the house and saw Lizzie on the front porch taking a sunbath. Of course neither one of them was anywhere to be found as I had been frantically calling for them just a few minutes earlier. I immediately took the cats in and Googled "hawks cats." I ran across an unbelievable story of a hawk that crashed through a screened-in porch to try to get a cat who had been minding its own business. If you want to read this hilarious story, go to "Hawk eyes cat for its breakfast" at www.gazetteextra.com/hawkattack082107.asp

Needless to say, Buster and Lizzie will not be spending much time outside for quite a while.

5 comments:

  1. killer birds, I tell ya...just like the grackles that we call Walmart Birds...
    and do you know if you get a Mockingbird singing in your tree at night it will not go away, no matter how many rocks you throw at it because it is looking for a Gfriend, and mine must have been butt ugly in the MB world cause he was up there for a month!!!!

    those kitties were fine, just being cool cats....

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  2. On Saturday morning, I was sitting outside on my patio with coffee & paper in hand. I was watching our latest pair of juvenile squirrels, Click & Clack, eat birdseed and generally be cute. (And yes, I know that squirrels are destructive creatures, rats with better outfits, etc. But I like them just the same.)

    I looked down for a brief moment to sip my coffee when I heard this WOOSH!!! I look up & see a hawk, wings spanned wide, making it's way between my bird feeder & the tree it hangs from -- a space probably about 18 inches wide. I ran to the yard to check on Click & Clack, because they are young & small, and found them both up the tree. Sigh of relief!

    I get that the hawk needs to eat, I really do. But 9am on a Saturday is too early for the Circle of Life in my yard.

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  3. My friend Lanette is convinced that her cat's disappearance was the result of a hawk attack. It even tried to grab her chiquaqu out of her arms no kidding. She called Animal Control and they said (and I quote) "Lady, it's a bird!"

    Maybe you need to put Click and Clack in the garage until they are old enough to defend themselves.

    Or call Saracuda and ask her to come by in her camo and take the hawk out with one of her assault weapons. I'm sure she would do it in exchange for your vote.

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  4. I'd rather let Click & Clack fend for themselves (I have to keep saying over & over -- circle of life) then have SP and her arsenal over. They may make me put one of those signs! in my yard. and that won't EVER happen.

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  5. OMgawsh- a new phobia fr me to obsess about! Thank goodness I live in the cit-ay. I am not going to google hawk city, btw.

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