Its was a brisk foggy morning when I tripped over “ Cherry”
a little white fluff ball of a bunny who goes nuts when he’s let out of his
enclosure. The little rabbit grunted gave a small flounce and carried on
circling me. The walk- in enclosure was big and square with wire covering the
sides and top alike, it had a big transparent roof that slopped to stop the
rain. The guinea pigs were happily
munching away as I entered, and Cherry followed me in. I quietly shut the door
behind me and knelt down placing his food and water down inside his double tier
hutch. He ran inside sniffed his food
bowl and shot back out and began circling me. I stretched my hands out trying to pet him as
he ran but I missed and slapped the concrete hard.
“ Cherry” I brushed off the dirt and dug out the stones
oblivious Cherry continued.
I smiled and suddenly looked around I thought I had heard a
little jingle, and there it went again the guinea pigs shot into their hutches
grumbling, and stood alert poking their noses out of their houses. Cherry had
stopped running his ears pricked up. I
looked across the floor thinking maybe he had knocked one of his toys but he
was nowhere near them, I looked up. And flinched.
Peering down upon us through the wire and sat very
comfortably on one of the roof beams was a cat. Its big wide eyes took us in
narrowing and widening as it tilted its head and sat watching me. For a moment
we stared at each other directly in the eyes, the cat tilting its head and
turning its ears as it tried to work me out. I sat looking at the small indent
its tale was making in the wire.
“ Not the guinea pigs” I said standing up.
The cat blinked, and watched me as I made my way out of the
enclosure, shut the door and slid the bolt across. That’s
the trouble with having prey animals that like to be outside. When they should
be relaxing and running around they become the targets for any predators, in a
place they should feel safe. Other than
keeping an eye on them there was nothing I could do.
But Archie the cat had other plans; he sat on the wire
peering down at the little fluff balls that were back to squeaking and eating
as they ran around. He licked his lips looking down upon them as he tried to
figure out how he could sneak his way into their enclosure.
Late that night Archie met up with Oscar and Mason, they sat
on the red bricked wall looking over into the green lush field that held rats,
mice and anything else they could chase. Oscar was a smooth black furred cat
who sat looking out into the darkest corners while Mason a plump ginger cat sat
talking with Archie.
“ They’ve got some good ones” Archie said tilting his head
towards the garden to where he had found the juiciest rats for miles around “
the only problem is we cant get them”.
“ Shame” Mason meowed.
“ What seems to be the problem?” Oscar asked.
“ There’s a fence” he mew-oaned
“ We climb fences all the time” Mason disagreed
“ Not like this one” Archie said “ its massive- all around, there’s
even a roof, kept me dry in that rainstorm- was even better than a night in
with my Human watching those”
Mason licked his lips “ There must be a way”.
“ I’ll show you when its light” Archie agreed.
“ We need to watch for the humans” Oscar pointed out “ If
those rats are protected like that, they won’t be happy about us making them
lunch”.
“ Explains why the human wasn’t too happy about me being
there”. Archie agreed.
That night I had locked all the animals in their hutches to
be extra safe since there was a cat about, and I was glad of that. During the
night I drifted out of a deep sleep to the faint sound of meowing. A light
chill fluttered through the window I had left open a crack, and I got up to
shut it. I slipped under the curtains placed my hand on the handle and nearly
fell on the floor laughing.
In the gleam of
moonlight three feline figures sat on my neighbour’s wall. And in the quiet
night I could hear every sound they were making, they weren’t just meowing but
they were taking it in turns almost as if they were talking. One would meow and
pause then the other and the other. The three cats suddenly turned around the
gleam from their eyes making me jump as I hid out of sight and then slammed the
window shut. It was odd almost funny almost as if they had been having some
kind of conversation, if only I could have interpreted those meows.
Up bright and early the next day I went straight to my
animals, there was something about those cats I didn’t trust. Like they were
intelligent enough to work as a team and break through the wire, though as
least my animals were locked in their hutches overnight- they couldn’t get in right?
I had a quick scout around saw the cost was clear and let
Cherry out, as usual he bounded the full length of the garden and had a good
sniff around. I let the guinea pigs out and took their empty bowls; I bolted
the door shut and went inside. A few minuets later I was back out. Laden down
with full food and water bowls I failed to hear the first few jingles, Cherry
who had been greeting me suddenly shot from my side. I shoved the bowls down-
“ Cherry-cherry”
But the rabbit didn’t listen the cat had returned, and
instantly the little rabbit had turned and charged at the cat. The poor cat
ran, as cherry caught up with it and jumped.
“ Cherry”
The cat flinched as Cherry clung onto its back
“ Cherry”.
He jumped off and the
cat climbed the fence and jumped away into next doors garden.
Cherry shot back to me
“ Crazy little bunny” I said ruffling his fur “ Attacking
cats”.
Later that night Archie sat licking his wounds, Oscar and
Mason at his side
“ Did you get in?” Mason asked excitedly.
“ What happened?” Oscar asked
“ That bloody white thing” Archie replied, “ That fluff
ball- whatever it is ambushed me”.
“ hmmmm…” Oscar thought for a moment perhaps you need more
than one
“ I’ve heard them call it Cherry” Mason said “ Its not a
cherry is it?”
“ No” Archie said “ Indeed it is not- this is war but we
have to watch for the humans”.
“ Don’t worry about that we’ll sort something” Oscar
reassured.
‘Oh-Shi-“
As soon as I stepped outside that morning, I was encased by
a triangle of cats one ginger another, black and the third brown and white with
a pink collar. The three of them meowed as they circled me and for a moment we
all eyed each other. I shook off my hesitation;
they were only cats after all and strode through their triangle of claws. I
headed down the path to the animals enclosure envisioning some kind of massacre
as my heart beat hoping the poor little piggies and Cherry hadn’t got it during
the night. I placed my hand on the door and looked up at a jingle the cat was
back again it paced the roof looking down into the enclosure examining the
sides almost as if it were looking for a weak spot. I took the padlock off and slid the bolt
across, Cherry came to the door instantly running this way and that and finally
trying to pull the door open with his mouth as he scratched at the wire. I
looked around the cats had followed keeping their distance as they circled
around. The cat on the roof sat close to the edge watching.
I took a glance at Cherry who had run to the other side of
his cage, opened the door a crack and slipped in. There’s nothing like a gang of cats hanging
around to slow you down when trying to feed your animals, especially if they’re
prey animals. That morning was almost like a dance, bend down, get Disarray’s
bowls, check the cost is clear slip out, check the coast is clear slip in, give
Disarray his grub, and start again with Tufty and Maximus, and Cherry.
Thwarted again Archie and his crew sat deep in conversation
“ Even in daylight” Archie shook his head
“ We hunt!!” Oscar exclaimed “ There must be a way”.
“ But how?” Mason asked, “ Distracting the Human didn’t
work- even with Tinkerbelle”.
“ Then we get more” Oscar spoke “ They can’t watch everyone…
one of us can slip in”.
My jaw dropped, the sanctuary of the Piggy’s
home had been completely disrupted. The
wood and wire cube form was over-run; the air was filled with meows, hisses and
snarls, as cat upon cat climbed over the wire structure. Some rubbing
themselves against the wire and wood others pawing at the fence as they tried
to get to the prey inside, that they could smell, but not see. The cats climbed
the fence as though on catnip, some falling to the ground, others rolling
around on the wire weaving in and out of each other and the beams on the roof as they failed to stand up straight. Seriously considering
purchasing a dog I undid the padlock and slid the bolt across, yesterdays dance
would be nothing compared to todays.
It seemed that Archie and friends had let rumours fly, that
there was a cube with the juiciest of rats inside, and one big… whatever it
was. So cat upon cat had trudged their way to the cube to see if they could
find a way inside. Who wouldn’t want all this treasure? Who wouldn’t want to
feast on theses beasts. Archie himself had thought about dragging one back to
his human as a gift, but so had many other cats.
Day after day more cats came, in a bid to try and break the
cube and get the prizes inside. But cat after cat failed as they pressed their
noises against or even through the wire always falling. Cat after cat returned
to look at the prey and challenge their mind. Archie and co. soon found
themselves being offered milk, toys and catnip for a chance to get into the
cube. They soon changed this policy to Catnip only and began charging admission,
the more catnip you had the more time you got.
The town (and even some of the neighbouring ones) became
void of cats as they tried to break the cube, Mother cats even took their
kittens along and tried to squeeze them through what looked look big enough
gaps in the fence.
“ I’m not big enough to catch them” Tom kitten the runt of
the litter complained as his mother tried to shove him through.
“ The others will
come, work as a group you’ll get the-AND be grateful do you know how much it
cost in catnip for each of us”.
“ Yes Mother” Tom kitten said.
I am grateful to say that not even kittens got in, even
though family after family tried. In fact so many tried to get in it became
like a zoo, where the cats could go to glance at their prey and if fortunate
get into the enclosure and eat the beasts inside.
Tufty, Disarray, Maximus and Cherry hid trembling in their
houses for most of the cat invasion. Until I moved them inside where they would
be safe. Soon the cats noticed that the beasts were no longer visible and began
to leave, as the empty cube no longer satisfied them. Archie, Oscar, Mason and
Tinkerbelle, stood looking into the enclosure wondering where their prey had
gone.
“ That didn’t work” Mason complained
“ “ It doesn’t matter” Oscar said “ Do you know how much
catnip we got from that”.
The four cats stood their eyeballs lit up as they each
figured out their share.
Response to:
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| The Neighbours cat that likes to watch the guinea pigs |
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| Cherry who chases after cats when they get too close |
