cats Posts

The other day, while sitting out the front conversing with my husband, a tragedy befelled my wildlife family.

There Les and I were, sitting quietly and enjoying the peaceful moments of a cigarette break (allow me one vice), when I suddenly realised something was wrong.  Behind me, there was a lot of squawking going on, which isn’t unusual for our magpies.  I thought nothing of it at first.

As I continued to sit there, out of the corner of my eyes, I could see our regular group of magpies dancing around, and really crying out.  They were trying to get my attention by bobbing around, flapping their wings and squawking as loudly as they could.

I turned my head in the direction they were wanting me to look, and that’s when I saw it.  The youngest magpie had been caught by the neighbours cat, a truely horrible sight for an animal lover to see.

I yelled ‘NO!’ at the top of my voice, dropped cigarette and cuppa (ok, placed them down) and pounded down the front stairs and over to the fence that seperates us from the neighbours.

I wasn’t quick enough!  The white cat gripped my baby bird even more firmly and then bolted with it as I reached even further over the fence in a vain attempt to rescue the magpie (and I nearly lost my balance too, though didn’t care).  The cat ran off with the bird, feathers flying everywhere and the strangled cries of its victim slowing.  The bird was dying.

Our neighbours aren’t particularly nice people, and I wasn’t going to risk a tresspassing charge, which could see me losing my family, so I had to let the magpie go.

I was heartbroken, holding back tears and sobs, at what had happened.  All my life, I have been a ‘friend’ to the birds (and any other wildlife that comes a calling) and I couldn’t save this one little darling (who was a rather naughty bird).

The rest of the magpie group hung around a few minutes more, and then they disappeared.  For several days, they stayed away, and I’ve wanted to cry every time I go outside because they just haven’t been there.  My ’shadows’ were gone, flown off to mourn the loss of their child, sibling and possible future mate.  Me, I wish I could have gone with them, as looking towards the neighbours was filling me with anger. (more…)