This feral cat lives in the barn on the farm that I care-take. He’s a feisty fellow and has caused a stir or two among the other cats there. One cat lives in the barn legitimately and that’s Missy, whom I love. One day I heard crazy cat screams and took off running for the barn, bursting through the door. No cat could be found, but bits of Missy fur were all around, and a little orange fur, too. I desperately searched for Missy to make sure she was all right. When I found her she only had a couple of scratches and seemed none the worse for the wear; after all, she has lived in this barn for years and done just fine, thank you very much.
Missy and the orange cat may tussle from time to time but they seem to have an understanding. I’ve never seen more than a scratch on Missy, and that has been rare. The owners of the farm are convinced that Missy
has invited the feral cats to the barn knowing that they would be well fed and have plenty of work catching mice. After being here almost a year, I’m beginning to agree. I think Missy is running a kind of shelter for juvenile delinquents and she seems to be doing a good job. I just need to relax and let them do their thing in their own way. They have a system that works for them. I don’t need to impose my system/beliefs/assumptions on them. I’ve seen too many humans do that to too many other humans and this earth with too few good results.
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We humans, as you say, are very good at imposing our systems on other humans. We are even better at imposing them on all the other-then-human creatures with whom we share this world. And almost always to the latter’s detriment. We’re a bossy, arrogant species. But we’ll get our come-uppance eventually I hope, one way or another.
PS: I meant ‘other-THAN-human’. (It bugs me that WordPress doesn’t let us preview a comment before posting it on this site.)
I agree, we are a bossy, arrogant species, Marian, partly because we’ve been on the scene for a relatively short time. We are an adolescent species. I hope we can grow up before we destroy everything.
I’ll look for a plugin that will allow for previewing comments before posting. There may well be something out there.
Thanks for your continued support, Marian. Means a lot to me.
Lily wanted to know the names of the cats. I told her Missy’s name but she insisted on knowing the name of the feral cat as well. I said, “I don’t know, Lily. Do you want to give him a name?” She said, “His name is Cat Friend.”
Marian, I found a preview plugin. I hope it works.
Lily, the orange cat didn’t have a name but now he does: Cat Friend. Perfect! Thank you, Lily!
Ah yes, to sit back and enjoy the order of nature…..even when it makes us uncomfortable. I will remember this while I am walking the streets of India… Thanks Carla