A Kitty's Adventure
Today promised to be a low impact day. I got up, went to the doctor's and had blood work done. Then, I came home and cuddled up on the couch with the husband to watch last season's Queer as Folk. We ate lunch, sat on the couch too long, and basically vegged. It even rained a little. Then, later in the afternoon, I was heading outside to do some plant work when San Ban ran to the door and was so endearing that I decided to take him out with me. We had a pleasant poke around the yard and made our way to the easement between us an our back neighbors. We walked along the the easement and enjoyed the view and the birds. I even ate a few ripe black berries (yum). San Ban ran and ran. It's his favorite sport. Then, just when things were idyllic, it happened. A fawn bolted from the other side of the berry brambles and ran into the woods that make up two vacant lots on our street. San Ban Nekko Sama went right after it. I'm not sure what he was thinking. I'm not sure if he even saw what it was he was chasing. He took off after that fawn like a shot. Both the fawn and the cat disappeared quickly in the palmettos and yupons. I laughed so hard, tears were in my eyes. I heard some stomping and some snorting. I guess Mommie deer got involved, and then I didn't hear anything. I called my cat and called my cat, to no avail. Now I was worried. If you think Bambi's mama is a sweet and defenseless critter, you got another thing comin' I was very worried that San Ban had been kicked or stomped...so, I waded into the thicket. Let me tell you, blackberry brambles make short work of my pale thin hide. But, I was worried about my kitty, who is normally talkative but had only uttered one wail since the fracas. A lonely Waow! was all I had heard. After the first 15 or so feet, the bramble thankfully thinned into oaks, palmetto, and yupon. I called and called. Right about the time I was getting frantic, I heard another Waow not too far to my left, and up. There was San Ban, in the crotch formed by twin white oaks. He was panting heavily. Now, San Ban is a tree climber. He likes to do it, even when he isn't being chased by angry four legged herbivores. The problem is, he doesn't like getting down. I stood at the bottom of that silly tree for at least 20 minutes, trying to get him to jump to me. He was only about 8 feet up. But NOOOOOO, he wasn't getting down, that weird stompy thing might still be down there. I called and called him some more, I poked him with a stick, nothing. Finally, I went back home to get Todd. We walked back down and thankfully, as I was wading back into the thicket, I heard San Ban coming toward me, crying out in his little lost kitty voice. He came to me most happily and, as I scooped him up into my arms, immediately started making kitty biscuits and purring. He let me carry him all the way home with nary a struggle. Poor little dear panted the whole way. I got him into the house and he immediately flopped down onto the tile floor and stayed there. He did accept some treat, after a while. I figured a kitty with a wounded ego could stand a little praise and treat. Poor little guy, he had quite an adventure today.