The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend (The outdoor cat)

By: jesse

My newest neighbor, whom, I've never met up close, has been doing me favors for close to 3yrs. now and I haven't had the chance to thank him/her yet, which makes me feel... guilty?

This neighbor, being a little shy and elusive, is difficult to get to know and the fact that he/she lives under my shed doesn't help; there being only a foot of clearance I just can't walk up and introduce myself, you would think this neighbor a little standoffish. The only time I would know my neighbor was around is when my cat would sit by the window staring whistfully out at the shed, thinking cat thoughts.

My "cat" neighbor was one of the few left in the area; it seems the niche of natural predator for the outdoor cat, has been filled by..."The Red necked hillbilly neighbor kid", complete with Ford F150 4wd pickup. The reason I can be so harsh about the neighborhood kids is because, I was one myself and, with age, I've learned that having a 4 wheel drive only gets you stuck further off road, harming animals for fun is bad Karma and I've always known it's ignorant; but anyway, I granted "SANCTUARY" to the feline freeloader. My outdoor cat, who I'll refer to as "her"; since I've been given a surprise, five surprises actually, has been working on my rodent problem - my indoor cat considers them her playmates - that I've been battling with since living here. Until recently, there hadn't been a drop in the rodent population, so, I was very pleased not to hear the scratching in the ceiling or the scurrying black shadows on the floor this winter. My outdoor cat had been busy decimating the mouse population - that lives in my wood pile - something that I haven't been able to do, one cat has taken care of in record time.

Come spring, I found my outdoor cat had replicated five miniture versions of herself (surprise), this is a plus because "more cats = less mice"; a minus because "more cats = more cats". If you get the feeling I'm not a cat person... your right, I'm of the mindset - if your loyal and you earn your keep, I call you friend. Well, the kittens soon proved their worth, they were out chasing birds and keeping other pests away, albiet inadvertently; I could have done away with the netting and fencing, from the garden, if I wanted (I think I'll wait another season or two).

Due to the fortunate series of events that have led my "cat neighbor" to me, I've since gotten rid of my rodent problem; larger pests that used to dine in my garden are gone and I've saved quite a bit of money; money that was previously use to buy traps, baits, poisons, any number of gadgets to get rid of mice and other pests. Finally, a change of attitude on how to handle pests; if just a cat saved me time and money with no effort on my part, then it only makes sense, to me, that natural solutions to my problems (gardening, pest control) would be the best way to go - working with nature, rather than fighting nature. All this from one little cat, maybe I am more of a cat person than I thought.

Article Source: http://www.homesteadarticles.com

Husband and father, one time itinerate merchant and story gatherer, that has settled down to live the simple life and recount some of the experiences that have led me here. Author and Admin. at www.livingonabudget.net You can contact me here.

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