The Cat and the Chickadee

            Outside next to our kitchen window is a bird feeder on top of an aluminum pole about eight feet off the ground.  Each morning a dozen or more chickadees swoop down amid a swirl of feathers while our cat sits underneath watching.  Sometimes if a bird perches on the edge of the feeder the cat will leap up swing his paw but hitting nothing but empty air and perhaps a small feather floating there but nothing more.

Several weeks ago the cat figured to get up on our roof and then jump from there.  He did but miscalculated the arc and only scattered seeds, feathers and birds over the yard.

            Yesterday he decided to try again and so he scurried up the oak tree by the house and once high enough he dropped down on the roof...  He then scampered up to the ridge above the feeder. He sat there looking smug and licked his paws while never letting his eyes stray from the feeder. By now there were about twenty chickadees gorging themselves oblivious of the cat.

            After what seemed an unbearable period of time the cat stood and stretched out and with an Olympic dash of speed sailed down the roof to the edge and launched itself in a spread eagle kind of shape and dropped with an audible thud onto the bird feeder.

In an instant there were seeds, birds and feathers flying all over our lawn while our dog barked furiously and ran around in circles.

When the feathers settled down the cat was sitting in the middle of our feeder and one very bold chickadee was perched jauntily on its head looking about nervously.