Tag Archives: instinct

Watching for Predators When Walking the Cat

Regular readers will recall that in an effort to keep Ivy the Wonder Cat’s weight under control, I take her out for leash walks around our rural property.

Since the beginning of the daily walks, one big adjustment has been to get her on a routine of regular flea and tick medication to ensure she doesn’t pick up any bugs (literally) on her journeys outdoors.

The other big adjustment for me, was to learn about her natural predators and to keep an eye out for them.

Since our arrival in the country, we have spotted all kinds of wildlife. But the ones to watch out for where Ivy was concerned were the fox (that we have seen), the coyote (that we have heard) and the fisher (that has been the subject of town gossip). And then there is always the question of whether there is more than one of them.

Most of the time, Ivy can walk around the property pretty safely. However, I need to be wise to the signs to the contrary.

For example, on any given day, squirrels and chipmunks can be seen frolicking around the property, digging up a variety of treasures.

On the morning I wrote the first draft of this blog post, I couldn’t see any… anywhere. It was eerie. The absence of squirrels and chipmunks is definitely not normal for us. Continue reading

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