We woke up this morning to see this little fellow wandering around outside our house:
I go giddy with awe and delight every time a wild animal comes into our garden, whether it’s a deer, a squirrel, a baby crow, or any of the birds that visit our feeders. Two weeks ago we caught a rare glimpse of a large-ish fox trotting through the yard late at night. Poor thing was probably starving and hunting for cats or bunnies or, if he was lucky, a dish of cat food left out all night (as our neighbor frequently, and unwisely, does). Also, this cute guy has been a frequent visitor over the last couple of months:
I honestly don’t know how any of these animals survive the winter here, especially this last one, which has been ridiculously long and extremely cold. What does a deer eat when the ground is covered with deep snow for five months? It boggles the mind. So my awe and delight is always mixed with pity for and admiration of animals that live outside in conditions that would reduce me to a weepy bag of slop in two days.
Seeing the deer walk off into the forest this morning reminded me why it’s illegal to walk dogs off-leash most places in Norway. Unfortunately, many people disregard that law and there is always a story or two in the newspapers every winter about animals that have been senselessly attacked and killed by dogs. I love dogs, I truly do, and I understand why people want to let them run around and have a great time. But look at that little deer! He wouldn’t stand a chance against a big dog.
I’ve been lobbying Husband to make a change in our own house rules and turn our indoor/outdoor cats into indoor-only cats. After what happened to Harry (may he RIP), it seems only logical. And now we’ve seen the fox, so we know there’s that danger. Plus, it’s better and safer for the birds and the squirrel, right? And I can't fail to mention our continuing problem with the horribly mean bully cat who lives next door who only two weeks ago attacked little Gunnar as he sat sunning himself on our own porch. Bully cat, or Dickhead, as we refer to him, took a pretty big bite of Gunnie’s butt and we ended up at the vet’s office so they could treat what was turning into an infection. Poor Gunnar!
Husband is of the opinion that the cats, especially Elfrida, are happier when they’re allowed to go out, but I’m hoping he’ll come around to agree with me that it’s just better if they stay in. There will be less stress, less bird-death, less strife with the neighbors. And there are ways of keeping them happy, even if they’re prisoners…. We’ll see how it goes.
03 April 2011
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12 comments:
That deer and squirrel are amazing, I to just love to see wildlife right in my own back yard although a deer is out of the question in our estate. We have little blackbird babies though. xx
I share your awe for the wild animals, and was always thrilled to see deer out back in Slependen. Good luck with the cat campaign. I don't know anything about cats so daren't offer up an opinion although emotionally I'm with you :) Incidentally, my daughter's replacement guinea pig has been called Harry (we joke that our friends from Texas will call him Hairy, which he is as he is long-haired).
x
I'm definitely an indoor cat kind of person...when Sylvester first found us, he was an outdoor cat, so I continued to let him go out, & then panicked every time he didn't show up for dinner. For my own sanity, I decided that he must learn to be an indoor cat, and he eventually adjusted. He is now a very old man, & based on the number of times I saw him bathing himself in the middle of the road, I think if he had continued to go out, he wouldn't have made it into his golden years!
Feathery wand toys (the best one is called the "Feline Flyer") give indoor cats a lot of exercise, so do laser pointers, & you can sit & watch TV while you exercise them!
Hi Emily,
Ian here - hope you are well! I do play with them with the laser pointer but I am always terrified of shining it in their eyes. I feel like I need to stand up and concentrate when I use it - seems like it would be a little risky using it and watching TV :)
I'm a little conflicted on the indoor/outdoor thing. I do not want to live my life entirely with safety in mind - need some fun and risk - BUT I do know how to cross the road :):)
Been catching up with your last couple of posts. I would love to go to London again - hubby used to love London but now he's not interested anymore. We once walked into a complete 'dive' of a Marokkon restaurant - I wanted to leave because it looked so shabby. One of the best culinary experiences we have had - can't say much about the ambiance tho....
As for cats. I like cats for their independence but I understand why you are worried.
Hi Ian, I always buy the cheap mouse-shaped laser cat toys that Petsmart sells (I don't think they're real lasers.) I wouldn't trust myself with a heavy duty, office supply store laser pointer either!
Emily
Your outside views are not that different from mine which is really pretty interesting when you think about it. We have 12 cats, many of whom think they want to be outside much of the time. They can decimate wildlife, though sometimes the wildlife can decimate the cats. We try to keep them indoors.
We had a cat on the farm wander off for over a month, and everyone was devastated when I offered the opinion he'd probably become fox food. Lesson for next time: keep Realist thoughts to myself. He came back though, probably found some people who let him stay inside and eat all he wanted before deciding being a barn cat was more fun.
But let me nerd out on you: If I remember ecology class correctly, squirrels and other little critters make it through the winter by entering a state of torpor. Their little systems require too much energy to maintain body heat, so they "conk out" for lengths at a time in their nests, and wake up every now and then to grab a bite to eat. All in all, it's probably a much more pleasant way to spend the winter than scrounging for food like deer and foxes do. This winter we had deer outside our bedroom window at night eating the rosebushes. The past few winters have been so hard, I always feel sorry for them.
I totally understand this indoor/outdoor cat conundrum.
Billy would be quite happy outside most of the time, roaming around, getting in fights, killing squirrels, but you know, I finally decided (after he almost died last year when he got into something while on one of his adventures and got violently ill) that he needs to be inside most of the time, and outside ONLY when I can watch him.
So now, we go out for small visits to the yard. I hang out, he eats grass, rolls around, inches toward the street.
He gets very snippy with me when I make him come in. I love him too much. I know it's impossible for him to understand, but he never stays mad long.
I am now considering the idea of taking him out for walks, with a harness and leash. I'll let you know how that works out.
p.s. sorry to hear (and see, thanks for the visual) gunnar has a boo boo.
@ Clare -- have the eggs hatched yet?? I can't wait to see pictures of the baby birds!
@ IN -- so glad to hear you guys adopted another guinea pig (complete with lice---I read your blog)! Our little deer was exciting but is tame compared to your chimps. :-)
@ Emily -- thank you for your words of encouragement, Emily. Ian and I have reached a compromise... Elfrida can go outside during the day if we're also outside but Harry is inside all the time for at least another year. So far, so good.
@ RTN -- your husband has traveled too much if he's tired of London! :-) Isn't it fun to find a restaurant that surprises you?
Hi Jon, and welcome! 12 cats! Wow! Jon, meet Emily. Emily, meet Jon. You two have something in common. :-) Jon, I looked at your webpage and your horse farm is gorgeous! Not to mention the horses! Beautiful.
@ Corinne -- thank you for that info, C! It makes me feel better about our squirrel friend. It also makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one who pities the deer.
@ Jill -- I think you've made a good decision with Billy. As I mentioned to Emily, Ian and I have decided that Elfrida can have supervised visits to the garden but Harry is strictly inside for at least another year. He's too wild to be trusted and, like you said, we love him too much. I'll look forward to hearing how Billy's walks go. Oh, and Gunnar wants you to know he's feeling better and is hair is growing back.
I share your awe at he survival of these little guys. They ARE amazing! My parents were getting black bears in their yard a couple of years ago. One time a mother with 3 cubs! And they live like, 2 minutes away from the mall! I'd rather have deer, personally.
(:
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