My cat tales most often feature Sissy or Sam, who seem to be the ones who attract the most adventures…or at least the ones that I see! This time, though, the hero is Lucky Casino, of the bright orange and white coat and the big, curious eyes. It was warm yesterday, for this elevation, and the sun was beating down directly on what has come to be known as the Sunning Rock. The cats often compete to see who gets to lie there. Positioned at the very end of the deck with a spectacular and unobstructed view of the Deschutes National Forest and the snow-dusted mountains beyond, it’s a perfect spot for either surveying one’s domain or soaking up the maximum warmth of the sun’s rays. The rock can accommodate two smaller cats or one large one sprawled out full length. Lucky falls into the first category. He slipped out ahead of Sam, who had been detoured by the prospect of ear rubbing, and claimed his spot on the rock, spreading his paws to try to look twice the size that he really way. Sam came up behind him, bestowed a disgusted look on the rock, and retreated, the picture of injured dignity, to take up a position on a deck chair. Sissy paid no attention to either the rock or Lucky. She headed off into the bushes on some private mission of her own. The others scattered. Lucky sat there for over an hour before I came out on the deck to enjoy a second cup of coffee and to read for a while. There is a faint hint of smoke in the air from the forest fires still raging in the state, and before I opened my book I offered up a prayer for the courageous men and women on the front lines, risking their lives to protect the people and the trees. A few minutes after I opened my book, a movement caught my attention. Butterflies are rare this high up, but here was a beauty. I don’t know anything about the different species, but this one had gorgeous brown and tan wings with spots, and they were at least 2” long. It flittered past me, close enough that the wings nearly brushed my cheek, and came to rest on the deck railing about six feet from the sunning rock. It couldn’t have made a sound, but Lucky’s head came right up. The butterfly’s wings were upright, normal for a resting position, but they were swaying a little. Lucky rose in one fluid movement, took a fix on the insect, and began oozing toward the end of the rock nearest to the deck rail, presumably to jump up. The drop of his tail and the stomach-to-the-ground action told me he was seeing the butterfly as prey. Good as Lucky is, he had to make the jump to the railing, and this attracted the insect’s attention. It turned to face him, its wing tips touching, and extended its long feelers. This seemed to disconcert Lucky, who stopped. His tail came up and his head came down and an expression of (forgive me here) almost human curiosity came across his little face. He took a couple of tentative steps toward the butterfly. I was sure it would fly away. It did not. Lucky advanced further, extending his flat little nose as far as possible in order to sniff at this remarkable creature. Still, the butterfly did not take flight. It moved its feelers even further forward. I wasn’t close enough, or sharp-eyed enough, to actually see whether it touched its feelers to Lucky’s nose, but certainly the two were close enough together for this to happen. I suspect it did, because Lucky suddenly executed a backwards jump. This is never a good idea for even the most skilled climber, especially when you are balancing on a narrow and uneven deck railing. Lucky’s hid feet missed their hold and his bottom slewed off into space. He began clawing frantically for purchase as the rest of him followed gravity, leaving him swinging in midair and holding on only by his front paws and his chin. The butterfly regarded this with some astonishment and then decided he had had enough. He took off and flew away just as Lucky landed on his rump on the deck. He got up right away, gave me a look that implied he intended to do this all the time, and disappeared around the corner. He hasn’t been seen since. I hope he feels recovered enough in dignity to come back for supper!
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 17:43:49 +0000
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