Thursday, January 31, 2013

C.S.I. Worland


There’s a criminal in our midst. Indeed, he’s sleeping on my recliner right now, one of this country’s 84 million domestic cats—dastardly bird assassins, nearly every one.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that a feral cat slaughters between 28 and 46 birds every year, while a free-roaming pet cat kills between 4 and 18 birds per year. The numbers for domestic cats are lower because those felines aren’t hungry but only hunt for sport. Besides, the pampered cats stay close to air conditioners, heaters, and woodstoves where birds generally don’t congregate.

Smokey Mew, alias the Terrible Tiger, is guilty as charged, but probably doesn’t bag more than 5 or 6 feathered victims a year. However, his predecessor, Sam, was considerably more bloodthirsty. Like most cats, Sam liked to display his trophies on the front steps, so I think it’s safe to say that he either met or surpassed his yearly quota of 18 innocent Tweeties.

Sadly for us but happily for the birds, Sam disappeared two years ago. Our search for Sam led us to the animal shelter, just in case. We were told that, because of a severely reduced rabbit populace, hungry hawks and owls were frequently preying on cats. The thought of a big old avian eating our dear Sam was dreadful, but we had to admit that, if it was the case, there was a certain justice in it.

 Sam


“The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.” –PSALM 103:6

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