Fraters Libertas

Mounting Death Toll

Our cat is getting along in years. We're not sure exactly how old she is but we figure she's at least seen thirteen or fourteen summers in her days. She doesn't have front claws and this year she's been suffering from a variety of ailments that she's been medicated for. Our modest home is in a high density first ring suburb and our yard is quite small. There is a chain link fence that borders the back yard and that is the only area we allow her to be outside in. All of which makes her hunting stats for the summer all the more remarkable.

As of today, when a chipmunk was left on our side steps with its head cleaved open and its brains scooped out (mmmm...chipmunk brains), she has now claimed four chipmunks, two birds, and a baby rabbit over the course of the summer. Not bad for an aging feline.

There is a certain amount of ritual involved in the slaying as the bodies are always left near the door to present them to us. As if to say, "Look what I did." One of the chipmunk's initially showed up only as a decapitated head. Two days later the headless body appeared. Not sure exactly what message that was intended to send.

I almost feel like a guily accomplice when I have to dispose of the bodies. I bury them furtively in the back yard hoping the neighbor's prying eyes don't witness my attempt to cover up the killings.

Now if we could only get her to go after those pesky squirrels...