Devil Cat
“He’s a devil cat,” announced our lovely female Manx, when asked about a local, most likely feral, invader. He was large, aggressive, and oddly configured, more like a panther than a domestic breed. “Are you sure?” I asked our lovely one, as she stretched full out in a favorite sunny spot.
“It’s really just a devil costume, so he can drop it and disappear when he wants to. That’s why only a few people see him.” Well, that clears things up, I thought to myself, grinning, as Amelia rolled onto her back, stretching one hind foot into the air. My housemate and I asked our nearest neighbors about this cat, but only one had noticed him, carefully skirting the bushes on the edge of our two properties. That neighbor has three large dogs, so the stealthiness made sense.
This particular feline invader is a dark charcoal grey from nose to tail with no other markings. He has large yellow/orange eyes, whose color changes depending on… something only cats may comprehend. And, he shows up at the sliding glass doors to the kitchen at odd hours, staring boldly into the room, tail twitching in that determined way that only felines manage.
The second or third time he showed up, Amelia flew into motion. Growling, leaping, and flinging herself at the glass, she put on quite the performance. He left. Of course he knew that there was plate glass between them, but he made his exit nonetheless…