[LARRY REVELATION: The two humans at our house have completed the two-shot routine for the anti-Covid 19 vaccines. Got the second shots Friday around noon and so far no side-effects though I do have a craving for chocolate and ice cream. Wait, I always have a craving for chocolate and ice cream. Now, we present our regularly scheduled program.]
This edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, the last for February 2021, is dedicated with our hearts to all feral cats, outdoor cats, indoor/outdoor cats and small dogs left outside by themselves.
Why is that? Because this is Coyote mating season and North Texas Coyotes are predators and those domestic animals may be your pets, but outside, they’re prey. They may be the target of a carnivorous Coyote. (I’ll explain the sleeping/napping photos later in this edition.)
Many cities issue these Coyote warnings on behalf of the animals who, unfortunately, are in the care of people who think Coyotes are harmless cartoon characters and the people also believe a little asphalt and some streetlights and yardlights will deter the appetite of a Coyote seeking an unsuspecting meal in its natural habitat — anywhere in Texas.
For example, on the Northwest Dallas Feral Cat Coalition Facebook page, we saw this note from the great Elaine McLendon Munch, a veteran rescuer and advocate.
She posted, “The city issued a notice on Next Door to beware that Coyotes are mating right now and normally through the middle of March. They caution that the males can get aggressive as well, where normally you could stomp your feet and yell and they would run away, that may not work now. Our poor ferals are vulnerable but if you have an indoor/outdoor cat best to keep it in. I fear a lot of cats will go missing during this time.”
[LARRY ASIDE: On our Next Door page, there are frequently people living near the river bottoms and a nearby nature preserve who post notices of their missing cats or feral cats they’ve been feeding or their small dogs (“I let Tiny out to do her business last night and she never came back….” You might have seen that kind of heart-punishing appeal for people to be on the lookout.) How about a “Wise up, people. Protect your animals.”]
Pass the notice about the Coyotes around to anyone you know who doesn’t understand that in our part of “civilized Texas,”little dogs and puppies and cats and kittens are absolutely the targets of such predators as Coyotes, free-roaming dogs, bobcats and hawks and other flying raptors not to mention mean-ass people. Dang, there’s my French poppin’ up again. Here's a link to the flying raptors in North Texas -- hawks, falcons and eagles.
Keep your animals safe -- let the sleeping dogs lie and the napping cats nap in the safety of their/your home.
THE PHOTOS
At our house, we have a former feral kitten (Simon), a once-wandering older cat (The Senator) and a not-that-big former street dog (Porche Noel). They all would have been likely Coyote targets had they not been taken in and given a home where their biggest threats are over-eating and over-treating.
That first photo above is the little guy Simon, saved from abandonment at about 5 weeks old, bottle-fed and now the largest cat outside inhabitants of a sanctuary for Lions and Tigers. Even his mugshot indicates a robust presence. He’d usually be sleeping inside the cabinet under the TV and bookshelves. But, lately, he’s discovered there is warmth in placing his cheek on a TV cable box — we still get the signal, but we can’t change the channels because of His Thickness.
Then we have The Senator who understands that as a “lap cat” he has the natural right to cat nap on the lap desk in Martha’s lap when she’s in the recliner and watching TV. (The cellcamera clicking woke The Senator, my personal advisor and confidant.) FYI: I think the “Lap Cat Cat Nap Clause” has been supported by the Supreme Cat Court of the U.S.
That is Porche Noel on the back of the couch. She appears to be sleeping, but in reality, she is peering through her squinted eyes toward our front door in what she calls “Coyote Repellent Position.”
One suspicious shadow across the window and she’ll declare “Coyote Alert!” and there’ll be a cavalcade of barking while the cats get on their phones to their lawyers.
Seriously, make sure your animals are safe. It’s your responsibility not the burden of “sheer luck.”
Bless the Coyotes, too. Keep all animals safe.
We close with pals Simon and Porche during a conference regarding strategy and treats. That gives you an idea of the bulk of Simon -- he's not much smaller than Porche and twice as sensitive to intruders. She barks; he plots.
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