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Tabby the stalker

A mild-mannered cat showed his true colors when turkey vulture came his way

By Cheryl E PrestonPublished 12 months ago 3 min read
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A seemingly mild cat becomes a focused stalker

Tabby is an orange male neighborhood cat who went from growling and hiding to coming near to get food and water. Tabby sleeps on the porches of various houses and enjoys it when my grandchildren are around. he still has a pretty loud purr that sounds more like a brrr and he will roll on the grass or sidewalk in front of our feet. This past Saturday, my two youngest grandchildren asked me to come outside and look at what was going on across the street.

There was a dead possum on the side of the street and a huge turkey vulture/turkey buzzard was eating it. Tabby saw the bird and decided to pursue it. He slowly walked across the street and we called for him to come back but were ignored. Tabby usually comes running when we open the front of the back door and meets us when we get out of the car. If he is nearby and I call his name he runs fast. He had become so friendly and tame during the past month that his behavior now was disturbing.

We were concerned about rabies and watched as Tabby sniffed the dead animal and the Turkey vulture slowly backed away and up the hill. Tabby's countenance changed and he became rigid. I had seen cats stalk birds before but this was different. He took a predator stance and became erect and focused. Tabby began to strut like a lion or tiger after a wounded animal only the turkey vulture was not intimidated.

Tabby became an animal we did not recognize

The bird slowly backed away a few feet but stood firm near the groundhog and kept its eyes on the cat. As Tabby inched closer and closer the turkey buzzard stood still for a moment then continued to slowly step back and the cat walked on looking long, graceful, sleek, and beautiful. This dance between the two went on for 7 or 8 minutes and finally, the vulture spread its massive wings and went to the roof of a nearby house. Tbby looked for a moment or two and then the spell was broken. The cat came back across the street and began is brrr brr mewing as if nothing had taken place.

When he was in that moment after the bird it was as if he were hypnotized and I knew he could indeed catch birds. After I put a blanket on the cat tower underneath the carport about an hour later a dead bird was at my front door. The grandchildren said Tabby brought it as a thank you. I thought about a dad bird on the porch a week earlier after I gave the cat a snack and began praying that no more birds would die and so far so good.

The turkey buzzard was larger than the cat and I wondered who would have won a fight between them. The natural predatory instinct is one for survival and I am always amazed at the animal kingdom and the powers they possess. Now I am considering that my indoor kitty Boots who has lived inside for the past 3 years could easily revert to his stalker nature if he spent time outside. They say leopards don't lose their spots so my guess is that cats never really lose their gut instincts when it comes to stalking prey. Keep this in mind if you have calm lazy indoor kitties because should they escape to the outside world and see a bird you might be surprised at what transpires.

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About the Creator

Cheryl E Preston

Cheryl is a widow who enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.

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  • HandsomelouiiThePoet (Lonzo ward)12 months ago

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