A few years ago I decided to build a deck - a really big, beautiful deck that I worked for six solid weeks on (with, of course, Michelle's help - she's good at the "thinking" part of building, I'm good at the 'pound nail here' grunt work part of building). Had I only known then what I know now.
It appears that my big, beautiful deck has become the new condo on the block for about every type of animal running around; most notably bunnies and toads. I have no problems with the toads, I actually like them. They eat the bugs that are in the grass and flower beds - they serve a purpose. I jsut have to watch out for them when I mow or trim the lawn. The bunnies serve no purpose - I don't like them living under my deck mainly because they eat my plants. In the spring, my poor lillies are leafless - just sticks with flower tops. I have tried many of things to get rid of the bunnies...throwing rocks at them, putting statues of owls in the flower beds (domesticated bunnies are smart...they didn't buy it), even putting human hair clippings in the flower bed trying to get them to go away. I have even entertained the idea of buying a paint ball gun. My thinking was that tagging them with a paintball wouldn't kill them, but hurt them really bad. Then they would be marked and that would serve as notice to all the other bunnies hopping around - go into that yard, get shot. Also, the deck would serve two purposes then - 1) for me to sit outside and enjoy summer, and 2) a strategic point where I could target and thus eliminate bunnies. Nature has a way of taking care of things...much to my dismay.
Last weekend, I was out in the backyard looking at the lawn and deciding where to water next. I heard it first...then I saw it climbing out from under the deck - a cat. Now, most people who know me understand that I am not a cat person. It's not that I dislike animals...I like animals...if the animal is not a cat. About the only other thing I hate worse than cats are snakes (for the obvious reasons). My first reaction was "oh, hell no...not under under my deck." Then, as I was standing there glaring at the cat, hoping it would pick up on my hateful vibes and leave, it decided that it liked me...and started rubbing against my legs. My first instinct was to punt it accross the yard like I was kicking the game winning field goal in the Super Bowl...then I saw the sores on its head. It appeared that this cat has been in a fight, and not seeing the other "thing" it was fighting with, it is hard to say if it won or lost; the sores just looked like they hurt. The other thing that became very apparent is that it was really skinny...sickly skinny. And then I had a moment of weakness...I fed it.
Now, my thinking at the time was that this cat is obviously living under my deck and it is obviously on its last leg. The last thing I want is a dead cat under my deck - it's hot and humid...not pleasant. So I figured, feed it so it doesn't die under my deck; it can stay in the backyard when I'm not there and leave when I am there. It has kept the bunnies away, so really what's the big deal; I guess I didn't mind as long as it kept its boundaries. One problem...I didn't fill the cat in on this plan; it has crossed its boundaries from the back yard to the front yard...and beyond.
This morning, at 4 AM, I opened up my garage door to leave for work only to see the cat sitting in the driveway, facing the garage door like it knew I was coming out...meowing like it was hungary. Tonight when I got home from work, I was coming in from getting the mail when I heard it...the cat meowing from the flower bed...like it was hungary. Tonight when taking a break from studying, I walked through the garage to go to the front yard to move the water...the cat was sitting in the garage like 'it' (don't know if it's male or female...and really don't care) owned the place. I am now being stalked by a stray cat. I walk out into the front yard, the cat is there; I open up the blinds in the house and look out the window - the cat is there; I walk out the back door - the cat is there. The cat is everywhere.
So, now I have a choice - bunnies or the cat. At least the bunnies didn't stalk me, and they didn't come in my garage. And instead of coming up to me when I went outside, they ran away at the first sight of me. But they did kill my plants (my poor little praying hands hostas barely made it last year) that I have spent hours upon hours loving. This will be interesting to see how all this works out...I fear to know what else is going on under my deck.
