New Pets

Not that we go looking for these things, as they tend to find US, but in the short span of yesterday, we managed to acquire two new "pets".

This cat had been skulking around the property for a few days but hadn't come near us. The next thing we know he's whining at the back door and actually climbing the screen....with our three cats waiting on the other side of course with grappling poles and boiling oil, waiting to repel the interloper.

We offered him a bit of kibble on the back porch and he ATTACKED the food in a way I have never seen. We could feel every rib and vertebrae, like he hadn't eaten in quite some time. As you can see, he also looks pretty beat up....not sure if he's too weak to hunt or defend himself....or just a bad fighter. :)

We have named him "Holstein", since he not only bears the proper colouring but also the bone-rack structure of a tired old dairy cow.

Holstein the Cat

We also came across this sparrow on our driveway yesterday. He looked like he had died standing up, as he had not moved in hours or even responded to our approach, just sitting there in the open. Finally he moved a bit, and it turns out he's just blind. Jane scooped him up on a stick before Holstein actually found a fight he might win.

Not sure if he's just too young and fell out of the nest before his eyes were developed....or if it's a birth defect and he's blind for life, a pretty crappy fate for a bird. We're keeping him in a cat carrier in the garden shed, safe and sound with food and water, until he shows any signs of visual awareness.

Say Hello to our leeeetle friend