The Chicken Herding Cat – A TRUE Story
Today I have something a little different. A conversation with another blogger participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge inspired me to write this offering. It is actually true, all of it. I couldn’t make up something like this.
First, let me tell you a little about the cat who used to claim us (she died last year at 15). Rain was part Norwegian Forrest cat and they are quite territorial. She had definite ideas about what was allowed to come in the yard, much less in the house. I have known them to take on coons. And the neighborhood Rottweiler. It took us forever to teach her that if we were feeding it, she wasn’t allowed to attack it. That was the only way my son could have a puppy. Both of our cats absolutely detested dogs. She had also taken on the duty of keeping all sorts of pests out of the garden, rabbits and coons for the most part.
Enter a few free range hens.
It took the hens a couple days to get brave enough to explore much beyond their nesting boxes, but as they wandered farther from the area, they naturally went up the drive towards the garden. I happened to be looking out the kitchen window when Rain saw them coming up the drive. She got up from her spot in the sun and started hesitantly walking towards the chickens. I could see the wheels turning from the window.
Critters don’t belong in the garden.
But, I’ll get in trouble if I hurt them.
But, CRITTERS DON’T BELONG IN THE GARDEN!
The lead hen was just about to pass the wild rose bush and Rain walked towards her. The hen, quite reasonably, ran back the other way. A hen on the other side of the drive tried to go past and Rain repeated what worked. The second hen ran the other way.
By this time, I was laughing so hard I could barely call my husband to the window. Within a few minutes, the cat had herded all the hens back to the yard as if she were a sheepdog.
After this success, she was powerful. She had control. Why, she could do anything!
Some months later, the deer were in rut and therefore almost as territorial as Rain was. I heard this loud snort and bellow at 4 AM. Now, at this time of day, I had only been asleep for a couple of hours. My first inclination was to turn over and ignore this intrusion of my dream world. But the snorting got louder and was coming from the front yard. My bedroom was in the back. Okay, I had better check this out.
Turning on the kitchen light revealed the most astonishing scene. Rain was on the stone wall right outside the front door playing indignant, angry, Halloween cat. Reflected in the light from the window were the eyes of a large buck a few feet away, blowing and shaking his rack at my feisty Rain disputing his right to our yard. Behind the buck were several does. The buck completely ignored the light in the kitchen as he continued to posture in grand spectacle – trying to impress my cat. I haven’t quite decided if this show was for the benefit of his ladies, or if he actually considered Rain a threat, but he didn’t stop when we turned on the porch light either. Only when we came out on the porch, did he spin around and run.
Rain marched back into the house, tail high, like the reigning empress she was, convinced she had vanquished the buck, who’s rack alone outweighed her.
