THE CAT, THE PIGEON, AND THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN

In order to better explain the “event” this morning I need to go back about a year. Both my husband and I want to make sure we have fresh water in our backyard because of the hot temperatures in Phoenix in the summer months. We feel sorry for the poor birds and little animals that go there for a drink. That was how we found our last three cats because that frequented our yard for water, food, and…oh yes…birds. We have a big yard and occasionally do feed the birds with the intention of feeding the smaller birds versus the pigeons. So needless to say our backyard was Club Med for Birds.

A year ago we noticed an injured pigeon in our backyard that could not fly. We did not know how he got injured but after watching him we knew he could not fly and would be subjected to any cat who decided to come through the yard. This pigeon on the other hand was pretty smart and made a home in the pallets we had on the side of our house from bricks we purchased several months before. So being the pet lover person I am I did not want the poor bird to starve to death. I would put food outside the pallets so the pigeon could eat. He walked to the water located under a tree in the middle of the yard. We decided to give him the original name of Pigie. (Not pig but like the word “pigeon.”)

Well Pigie survived for eight months in our pallets and was fed regularly. It got to the point where he would walk around me as I walked in the backyard. He would not come up to me but was not afraid and felt he didn’t have to fly away when I was in the near vicinity. He survived the summer and winter months and seemed to be pretty resourceful about staying out of trouble with small animals (cats) that would want a moving play toy. During the eight month period of time living in the pallets in our backyard Pigie was working on strengthening his wings so he could fly again. This was an awkward process but he seemed to be getting stronger and getting more control and distance when he tried to fly. He eventually got strong enough where he could fly and did not live in the pallets on a regular basis. The one draw back about Pigie’s flying was he needed a good take-off zone. This meant he could not fly if startled or scared. He would just fly a short distance in the air and then come back on the ground in that case. It’s been over a year now and Pigie is still around. He is flying better but still needs a fairly good take-off zone as well as time to prepare to spread his wings. We see him about every third day or so when he stands in the yard expecting to get something to eat. Afterall he was fed for eight months by me so he was used to it.

Several weeks ago I noticed a lot of bird parts in our front and back yards. It had the look of a new cat in the neighborhood. I had not seen any cats but then again was suspicious because about every night our cats would start to go ballistic sitting in the front window or at the front door. They have a predictable cat run when they run from window to door to door to window many times before the cat eventually goes away or we have to close up the house to go to bed.

Four days ago there was a fairly young beautiful cat snooping around the water dish in our backyard. I had not seen the cat before but was concerned it was the reason of all the bird parts spread across our yard. I went outside to scare it away but the cat could tell I was an animal lover and stood there, gave me the cute eyes, and meowed. That melted my heart so over the past four days I have been feeding the cat to hopefully make her not want birds.

This morning after opening up the front door I noticed the cats were doing their “cat in the yard” run. I looked out the front door and saw it was our new cat friend. She is incredibly friendly and we are considering taking her inside if she did not have a home. I walked out in the backyard to fill the water dish. She heard me and jumped the fence talking to me the whole way. Well Pigie was also under the tree and usually did not fly away when he saw me. He didn’t see the cat…

Now this brings me to this morning. First the cat sees Pigie and of course he did not have enough time or zone to take off properly. Cat goes after Pigie. Middle-aged woman goes after Pigie as he repeatedly was flying short distances up in the air around the entire yard as the cat was going after him with vengeance. The cat had him cornered a couple of times but he still jumped around. I was going from cat to pigeon to pigeon to cat trying to catch one of them. The cat was going after a moving object which was what cats do. I ran in every different direction yelling at the cat and the pigeon so I could catch one of them. The pigeon continued to fly up short distances in the air as the cat planned her attack. I was running all over the yard with my arms flailing in every direction which I knew looked pretty ridiculous if the neighbors happen to be watching. I worked up a sweat and my heart was beating like crazy and it wasn’t even hot yet. Eventually Pigie got within a short distance from me and the cat stayed her distance because I was still yelling like a mad woman. I eventually caught Pigie as the cat looked on and thought I was crazy for helping the bird. She looked at me and then walked away towards the other part of the yard. I did not know if Pigie was hurt by the whole experience which probably lasted five minutes but seemed to go on for at least an hour in my mind. I wanted to put Pigie back in the pallets to recuperate and feel somewhat safe but I did not want the cat to see me put him there. So I snuck him on the side of the house while the cat was in the other part of the yard. Pigie quickly ran inside the pallets for safety. I knew the cat could go underneath the pallets to go after him so I put bricks in the holes so Pigie could fit but not the cat. I hoped Pigie was okay and could fly.

Pigie did walk back out of the pallets later in the day. The cat was inside sleeping due to my fear of her getting Pigie. I do not know if Pigie can fly but did not see him in the pallets. The cat is still in the bedroom sleeping. I know she will be militant about going outside once it gets dark. Then there is tomorrow morning. I hope Pigie is resourceful and learned from the experience earlier in the day. What I learned was today’s event worked in Pigie’s favor with my help and clumsiness. I am not sure if that will be the case in the near future. So ends today’s story of the cat, the pigeon, and the middle-aged woman...until tomorrow.