Power Play -- Ducks and Cats

Our eight ducks and our three cats have a pretty simple relationship. They mostly pretend the other doesn't exist. I think the cats ignore the ducks because the ducks are really too big for them to take on, and they don't want to be embarrassed by trying something and having the ducks kick their little furry behinds. I'm not really sure why the ducks ignore the cats. Maybe just because they can?

At any rate, interactions are rare. But today is sunny off and on, and I took advantage of a sunny moment to sit on the bench down by the pond. The ducks were snoozing nearby, and Irving, our brown tabby, decided to join me.

At first, Irving just sat on the bench with me and watched the ducks, who -- wait for it -- ignored him. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera, so these are taken with my phone's camera. You can just barely see two Canada geese past the sleeping ducks.



Then Halley came squeaking down the hill to see me. She greeted me, then turned and walked toward the ducks. Here she is about 10 feet from the ducks, between them and me. They and the geese continue to ignore her.



Bored, she decides to investigate the pond bank, as Irving watches.



Finally, one of the female mallards woke up and decided to check the cats out. With no hint of fear, she approached. Shelby, the black-and-white possible Muscovy mix, joined her, but still with no apparent worry about coming near Irving. Irving just watched them approach. This is as close as they came, then one of the white ducks sounded the alarm, probably just because a smallish female had left the flock, and they all waddled slowly and awkwardly into the water.



The Canada geese just continued to graze. They never acknowledged either the ducks or the cats.

Now, shouldn't that whole thing have been a little more exciting? A little more 'Wild Kingdom'? It's not that I want any attacks, but I'm a little embarrassed for the cats all the same. It kind of reminds me of the time the squirrel tapped our sleeping orange tabby on the back, then ran away. It's like the whole wild animal kingdom knows our cats are a joke.

Sheesh.