It's the cats versus the Christmas tree ornaments. Guess who won?

Dec 22, 2006

Remember last night when I said that there were four birds on the tree that still had their heads? Make that “two”.

The Evidence

Counterclockwise, from top, we have: one artificial bird ornament, cardinal. The beak is missing and the nearside wing has a puncture mark the same size and shape as the head of a pin. Or, coincidentally, a cat's tooth (I'm familiar with the way the toothmarks look: Ursa loved to teethe on my paperbacks when I first got him, when he was young.)

Next, one artificial bird ornament, cardinal. The crest is partially separated from the head, the neck and shoulders show numerous deep ragged puncture marks, the body has one deep semitriangular puncture mark which nearly goes through the entire body, the tail is punctured four times, the left wing is sharply bent, and the right wing is completely missing.

Last, one artificial bird ornament, white dove. The wings are untouched, but the tail has two ragged puncture marks. The head is utterly absent, and the remaining stump of the neck is highly chewed-up and stained the same color red as the “cardinal” birds.

The Accused

The potential culprits are easy to identify. My teeth aren't nearly as pointed, and while I occasionally eat fowl, I stick to the real stuff. But which one(s) did the deed? The quiet, sneaky Monkey, who has been known to snatch food off of sandwiches as I'm building them? Or Fog, who seemingly has no fear...except where Monkey is involved? What about Ursa, with his known proclivities and fondness for chewing on papery things? Combined with his frequent visits to the tree, he may be the most likely suspect.

Except that I know, for a fact, that Fog is a birder. When she was still an outdoor-kitty, she would spend her days hiding under the house where the neighborhood kids couldn't get at her. Some evenings when she wasn't waiting for me at my front door, I'd go to “her door” (the pushed-aside grating that covered one of the ventilation holes atop the building's foundation) and call her. One day when I went, there was a dead pigeon just outside, minus its head. Fog had apparently caught the bird, eaten the best part (brains!!!), and left the rest outside — whether in offering to me, showing off her kill, or simply unable to get the pigeon-corpse in “her” door is unclear.

Related entry: Montage
Keywords: | Holidailies | destruction | cats |
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