Trapped!

As evil as Sultana is, our neighbor has a cat named Patches who outdoes her in the nastiness department. Patches is so domineeringly ornery that their other cat, a sweet thing named Mischief, had to be put on anti-anxiety drugs. A couple years ago, my neighbors went on vacation and the friends charged with caring for their cats didn't give Mischief his medication. When my neighbors got home, Mischief FLEW out of the door and hasn't been seen again.

Since then, Patches has turned his considerable charm to Sultana. He has beat her up in so many places and chased her up so many trees, I've lost count. So it was with great surprise (and okay, a little delight...I fear my cat but don't hate her) that three weeks ago I saw Sullie chase Patches out of our yard!

A couple of days ago, I was working in my office when I heard a horrible howl on my front porch. It didn't sound so much like cat-fighting as like a cat getting killed. I ran out, expecting to see Sullie being carried off in some coyote's jaws.

Instead, I saw Sullie running along the railing, jumping to the ground and peeking under the porch (which is enclosed with latticework ), running to the stairs, back on the railing, on and on. The triumphant cast of her shoulders leads me to believe she had trapped some poor cat (probably not Patches) under our porch. I tried to get her to come in but she was too busy patrolling all possible exits from the latticework.

When she finally did come in, her fur was still all fluffed up and her tail lashing. She immediately went to Tasha's blanket and plopped herself down. As you can see by the picture, and other pictures I've shared, Tasha clearly is not thrilled to have Sultana anywhere near her. Didn't matter...BadCat was in a conquering mood and my poor dog was next.

As always, the spiritual analogies are too sweet to skip. The question is though...do we see God like this, trying to keep us contained, staying near us even when we try to turn away? Or is Sultana a smaller version of the lion roaring around our souls, trapping us and laying claim to us even when we've offered no invitation to do so.

I report...you decide.


Next up: Sharon Dunn and her cats, Buzzsaw and Big Rat. (Great names, eh?)