Irving Learns a New Skill

We were walking around the pond the other day, with Irving the cat eagerly trailing us, when all of a sudden he ran up a tree.



We haven't seen him do that before. I'm not sure if it was a sudden impulse, or if he's been practicing it and wanted to show off. It's not exactly a skill that's going to help him in life, but he was very excited about it.

He did it again, and got down easily both times.



He was so proud of it that he decided to get up on the fence post. Yes, this is what we need -- a sentinel at the gate.

Beware, all ye who enter here...

Irving the Great Hunter

Irving, our cat, continues to be intensely interested in the ducks. He's picked out the smallest female as either prey, or someone to play with. Sadly, with Irving, it could be either. (To my knowledge, by the way, he's never caught anything larger than a cricket, and he's about a year old.)



Here the duck is getting ready to enter the water, with Irving crouched behind her.





She went into the water without incident, so he came up to sit on the bench while I took more pictures of the ducks. Most of those didn't come out, because -- like most people taking photographs of ducks -- my arm was getting jarred by a goat pulling on my jacket, asking to be petted.






I gave up and scratched Arlene the goat behind her big floppy ears for a while, and Irving resumed the 'hunt.'






Doesn't he look dangerous? The duck, who had come back up on the bank close to where Irving was, was clearly terrified, though she was brave and didn't allow the fear to disturb her nap.



I don't know how the ducks know that he's useless as a hunter, but they obviously do know...

Interactions...

I was in the back the other day, and looked up to see our white cat, Halley, sharing a moment with the goats. She and Arlene, the goat who's closest to her, seem to have some sort of relationship.




When Halley first showed up at our house last year, she spent a good bit of time trying to interact with the goats. She partially succeeded with Arlene. I'm not really sure why either would be interested, but it's definitely a friendly sort of relationship.

Our older cat, Boot, also tried to come down into the pasture, and the goats chased him out. Again, I have no idea why. He's over 18 years old, and pretty cranky these days, but not really a threat to anyone at this point in his life. I think you can see the crankiness in the picture below.

He was born in Cairo, Egypt in early 1992, and has made five transatlantic flights, and lived in more than 10 houses, apartments and hotel rooms with us in various countries.

I guess he's entitled to be a little cranky.

Light in Red Clay Land

Much as I curse the Carolina red clay when it's ground into my carpets and bedspreads, or when it turns our white cat a blushing pink, it does produce beautiful colors when the light is right.



We're in the spring stage where the buds are starting to show promise, and a few small bulbs the previous owners planted are coming up. Down the street, a cherry tree is in full bloom, and the Bradford pears in so many yards here are greening up.



On the other hand, we have to lose an hour of sleep tomorrow to the time change. My husband tries every year to convince me that this is a good thing because we'll have light for longer in the evening, but all I know is that it's an hour of lost sleep, and as he will be happy to tell you, I don't handle lost sleep well.

Beyond Detente To Bizarre

I'm starting to suspect that Irving the cat may actually be trying to be friends with the ducks, rather than working his way up to attacking them.

Here's some evidence.



He's not there for the food. It's cracked corn and he has no interest in it. He sat there and waited while the ducks came up from the pond to feed. They paid him no attention at all, finished a leisurely meal, then strolled away.



He got distracted -- can cats have ADHD? -- but stayed there. I'd say that he was lulling them into a false sense of safety, but honestly, that would be a plan, and I don't think Irving can plan things.



Corky, the big Muscovy duck, stayed until the others had left, probably as a protective measure, but he also didn't seem disturbed at all by Irving's presence.

Irving seems more disturbed by my presence than the ducks. He's got a huge duck with claws behind him, and he's upset because I'm taking a picture?

Irving, what are you up to?

Where Goats Sleep

Our goats have a three-sided shelter where they can take refuge during the rain or sleep on cold nights. It has a little attached corral where we can pen them if necessary. It works really well...for them. Unfortunately, it has to be cleaned. It's not nearly as bad now that we don't have a horse, but cleaning it isn't the most pleasant chore in the world.

The goats like to help, though. The other day I filled several bags with....stuff....and put it in the wheelbarrow to take up the hill. After I went back into the shelter, I heard a crash, and came out to find they had knocked the wheelbarrow over. It works much better this way, don't you think?



To clean the shelter, we use a special upturned rake with narrow tines -- goat poop is very similar to deer poop -- and then spread bags of Equine Pine over the entire area. It's a pelletized product that puffs up and spreads out after a thorough wetting. It's really a wonderful thing. (My standards for what's wonderful have really changed since we moved here!)

Here's a 'before' picture...



...and an 'after' picture. Doesn't it look fluffy and (relatively) clean? You'd think they'd be delighted at the change.


Evidently not....

Cat and Ducks: Detente?

Irving the cat seems to have reached an accommodation with the ducks. He'll give them the proper respect, and they won't peck him to death. It works for everybody.

The ducks have started spending a lot of time in the marshy area at the side of the pond. The other day, Irving decided to walk the narrow path between the two areas, which took him right by the ducks. He checked out the situation first...



...then carefully walked by them to check out an insect that needed a cat's attention. On the way back, the ducks came out to see what was going on, and he got caught between them and the pond.



Finally they walked on, and I got this picture of him looking back at them, with the goats in the shelter, and Halley the white cat on the ledge next to them. Halley loves to watch Irving get himself into a pickle.



Irving tried to act cool about it, but his tail stayed puffed up for an hour afterward.



Those ducks are scary, man.