Kitty's Gift

One thing about having a cat for a pet is that you are bound to receive a gift from time to time. Such was the case yesterday.

Kitty, our cat (I know, not an original name), brought us a tiny mouse – or shrew, possibly, mid-afternoon. It wasn’t dead. And I wasn’t about to stand there and watch our cat kill and eat it. No, no, no.

I was able to shoo Kitty inside and watch as the tiny creature ran for cover, which was a nearby potted Japanese maple raised up on blocks. I checked on it a couple of times, and eventually it had fled to a safer place I assumed.

Moving on with life, all was well until just after dinner when Kitty presented us with another “gift.” I’m not one hundred percent positive, but I think this was the exact same “gift” that we received earlier. And, again, this tiny creature was alive.

Same scenario. Get the cat inside, tiny creature runs off, only this time it went over the side of the upper deck and fell onto the lower deck – at least a ten-foot drop.

I peered over the deck to see the mouse/shrew on its side appearing quite dead. Poor thing. Rough day, for sure.

Then one of my sons informed me the tiny one was still alive. He was thinking of putting it out of its misery (how I didn’t ask), but I would have none of that. He carefully placed it into a grassy spot, and we thought that would be it. Surely it would die.

Wouldn’t you know that this morning there is no sign of our tiny creature, and the cat hasn’t been out yet. Did something else get it? Maybe. But if not, then I hope this tiny creature has finally found a safe place to be.