Who's the Big Hunter at My Place, Would that Be Me?

While whe are blessed with 5 cats in the house, not one is a hunter. This is really strange, when I think of it, because I've always had cats and none of them was one. This is a skill that never developed in them, somehow. And I can't teach them how to do it; it would involve a live mouse and I like those too.

Usually they laze around all day with a rather bland face, eyes half closed. Watching me, green eyes following every move I make. But no activity beyond a stretch and a yawn.

The only one who walks more than 2 steps is our ginger one. At 7am she stretches one time and then jumps in one fluid move onto the kitchen counter. She never goes through the door; always the kitchen window. And disappears for the day without so much as a backward glance. Completely focused on what she has to do that day. Which is probably also nothing.

So when she came home during the day I was very surprised. Was she ill, was she hungry? Until I noticed a tiny tail like a spaghetti-string dangling from her mouth. I growled; and she growled back. She was playing hunter and I was not allowed to join in.

The first thing I needed to do was quickly getting rid of all the other cats. One after the other were nearly thrown outside. Where they sat in front of the glass patio-doors with an uncomprehending and slightly accusing look on their faces. But this was done in 3 seconds flat. I can move like an Olympic athlete if I have to.

The poor mouse was firmly clenched between the ginger's teeth. And rather motion-less. Grabbing the cat and prising her mouth open without being clawed to shreds is no mean feat. But she is small and I am big. So she finally dropped the mouse on the floor.

It was soaking wet with cat-saliva. But the spirit was still there and instinct took over. The cat's hunting- instincts had finally become dormant again and she looked serene like an angel. Not so the mouse though.

The mouse had the survival-instinct still intact and shot under the couch with an amazing speed.

This spectacle was watched by 4 (by now excited) cats outside and one docile one still sitting on the kitchen-counter.