Afternoon
So there we were this morning back of seven sun breaking though the clouds chickens starting to stir, dogs moving around time to get out of bed to perform the first duties of the day. Release the chickens from their place of warmth and safety and let the dogs have a wee.
Walking down the garden I spied a cat scurrying across the neighbours lawn out of the dogs senses range. However unknown to me and the dogs under the bushes another cat sat waiting for goodness knows what. The dogs went to their corner of the garden disappearing into the undergrowth.
The next few seconds involved frenetic activity bushes being violently moved by unseen forces, snorty puffing noises from the muzzle of Boris ( now recovering from his lump excision, results showing a benign growth with no action required, but keep him on a lead when out in case his sutured tail catches on the undergrowth was the vets instruction).
Boris obviously did not read this instruction on his post op sheet as he sprinted past me performing a perfect hand brake turn - in the mud too, before screeching left back into the undergrowth. Misha whenever something like this unfolds stands like some creature with a faulty reasoning centre, computing what is going on, before eventually realising that it is something he might be interested in. He zoomed off after Boris crashing through the bushes like some four legged machete!
By now the opposing force responsible for the undergrowth scenery movement had leaped atop the fence just before Boris arrived back to the point he started from. The cat clung to the fence top before realising that four paws and a large body had not landed in the ideal place on his wooden beam and with no safety net decided the adjoining tree provided a better stab at sanctuary.
By now the dogs had discovered that their nemesis was in the lower limbs of the tree as they tried to crash their way to the cat. Hisses and growls provided the sound track of this scene before the cat scrambled through the lower branches and into the twigs of it's new home like some over sized furry bird.
It is at this point dear reader that I watching all this unfold and was able to appreciate the evolutionary process of human - animal partnerships as the dogs could no longer see or smell the cat. They had decided that it must have flown elsewhere as they sniffed and harumphed around the bushes. Whilst the cat sat in it's arboreal seat looking below.
I could see it and I could see them, in times long ago I would have used my spear or bow and arrow to despatch this cat for our collective breakfast after my domesticated wolves had cornered the beastie or indeed puggled (Scots for tired) it into submission before I caught up and did the necessary.
Cruel you may say having the dogs chase cats (I didn't ask them too but they are very protective) possibly yes but they have prevented marauding cats from having our chickens for breakfast ( I appreciate that the chickens can possibly take care of themselves) on quite a few occasions and they generally just send a message that cats and indeed foxes are not welcome and thus far no chickens have been lost this way.
Thankfully we have Tesco et al for our breakfast needs and don't need to rely on my or indeed the dogs hunting skills. With our collective stiff backs, knackety knees, arthritic joints, blind eyes and sown up tail I doubt if the wild life having anything to fear more us as we would termed as the elderly and infirm and breakfast for any predator sniffing around.
Hopefully the cat doesn't have an African cousin here on their holidays!
