A Byrd's Eye View

Oh, God, NO!....Not Another One!!!!!

This cat, this new cat is a grown-up. Not a kitten. Quite large. White, with grey spots. He comes in through the open window which my regular cats use, and helps himself to the well-rounded bowl of cat food. I thought the food was going faster than usual. It did seem suspicious. But I just assumed that Toc and Wobbly and the Creature were coming out from their long winter naps and chowing down in preparation for the summer. Not that cats do that, of course, but I had to come up with some sort of excuse for the magically disappearing kibble.

I asked around the co-op to see if anyone else knew about this one, or knew anything about who his family was. People have seen him, of course, the same as they've seen possums darting around by the dumpster. But he doesn't seem to belong to anyone. At least, no-one is taking responsibility for him.

Wobbly and the Creature seem to get along with him OK, but he runs afoul of Toc. In fact, I think that it may have been a scuffle with this cat which caused the abscessed cat bite on Toc's head a few months ago.

I'm looking for a new job these days, and so I have been at home during the daytime, and able to watch what this crafty fellow is up to. This new one comes in through the window when the other cats are passed out asleep on my bed. When the coast is clear, he sneaks in and chomps down on the kibble. Then he high-tails it back out of the window before Toc can catch him.

When Toc does corner him, Toc emits the strangest sound - it is sort of like an ambulance siren filtered through a rattling muffler. And loud, too. Sometimes they make these strangled noises at each other at all odd hours of the night, since this new guy has come in during the night, as well.

So, this morning, I approached the co-op secretary and asked her if she had seen this guy, or if she knew who his humans were.

No, she didn't think he belonged to anyone, but her neighbors had been complaining that he sat outside their window and serenaded them all night long. Singing and singing. Yeah, he does that outside my window, too, I said - and sometimes one of my cats goes out and heckles him. That's why they call it "caterwauling", I guess. And what a set of lungs on this guy! You can hear him all the way down the block!

So, I guess if I have to give him a name, some way of referring to him so that he's not eternally just "that new guy", I shall have to name him after some great singer. Luciano, maybe. Or Elvis. I like Elvis.

Anybody out there have any better ideas? And do you know what I can do to get him to cut it out with the carrying on?

Enquiring minds want to know.....

Sleepless in LA,

Byrd

Posted by wahzoh at March 25, 2008 12:34 PM