For those who understand what nature is, and like it that way.....

A Cat Tale


During a long day of the ordinary, a walk proved that things weren’t ever
mundane and they happen whether I’m there or not; like the huge grey
cat walking the roof line of the two story brown house, stopping at the
edge as if to wonder if his next move might be worth it.

He leaps suddenly into space as I witness a furry missile hurtling
through the air; a feline flyer floating between roof and tree with the abandonment of a trapeze artist, then to disappear deep inside a clump
of thick leaves and tree branches.

Did this crafty adventurer transport himself over twenty feet just for
the hell of it, or for good reason? It was a question without answer as
I strain to find him in the camouflage of a mighty oak. I hear it before
seeing the commotion, amidst the loud rustle of the fall. I watch him
plummet from the bottom limbs onto grass and unforgiving ground.

His entire body hits the earth with the firmness than a competing high jumper into a sand box. Staring at the still alive fur ball beneath the tree, and seeing it move slowly and carefully, I am convinced that the hunter has thrown himself into his work.

His leap of faith and hunger, successfully captures a large blue jay in his jaws before instinctively allowing his body and catch-of-the-day to return to the ground. The huge feline seemed to have been cushioned by an inborn ability to fall,feet-first from whatever height.

Refusing to hang around for his indelicate feasting, I push away from
the fence, and begin walking again, shaking my head in disbelief. I had seen nature at its peak; demonstrating small animal skill for the basic need of the star performer.

And, as my rewarding stroll continues I imagine the old boy enjoying his find, then licking his paws for a bit of cleanup before retiring to his bed in the corner of a big kitchen full of good smells and daring-do cat dreams.


F. William Broome © 2005
All Rights Reserved