"Abundant Wildlife" Part 2

I didn't figure it would be pleasant taking the dead thing out of Cowboy's mouth, but I didn't expect to have half a cat skull in my hand, either.  It was the nose, muzzle, whiskers, complete jaw and teeth of a fairly young black long haired cat.

The whiskers were long and white and still pristinely beautiful. Poor thing.

Immediately, of course I started to wonder if in my hand was a piece of the remains of my beautiful long haired black cat Ashlee, who disappeared Halloween 2006.

Ashlee's photo by Candace Craw-Goldman Copyright 2006

You might think that too long of a time for there to be any remains left to be found. Especially if she was eaten by the coyotes. Which I am positive that she was. But I have walked and ridden in these same hills for more than 6 years now. Some parts of creatures hang around for a long while. Bones, of course, but hides can too. This was half a skull with the hide dried on. All flesh was long since gone.

Ashlee came to our family a full grown stray who had two very strong traits. One, she would NOT wear a collar. If by some means we were able to hold her down and put one on her, she would spin like the Tasmanian devil, dive under the sofa and only re-appear when collarless. I have never seen anything like it in a cat. I tried every possible way to collar that cat. Nothing worked.

The second trait she had was absolute insistence of being let outside. If we did not let her out, she would shoot out the door like greased lightening when you least expected it. I have owned cats my whole life and never before or since have I seen a cat that could escape like Ashlee. There was no keeping her inside. Its no wonder she was a stray!

Ashlee loved being outside. She would rub and purr and meow with pure pleasure against our legs...when she was in the yard. She lived for those hours in the sun. Usually, she did not go very far.

It worried me terribly that she would go outside but I always made sure she was indoors at night. I was fearful of the coyotes and the cars that drive so fast down our little road. But that October in 2006 I could not find her before we had to leave that evening. I knew in my heart that next morning what must have had happened. I searched for hours. I searched for days. I searched as much of the valley as I could, on foot and on horseback.

I don't blame the coyotes. I really don't. Many people want to just eliminate them, just shoot them.

Well, I don't really like how brave some of them have gotten, but, gee...we moved into THEIR world to live in the country. I actually am pleased they are here to thin out some of our over population of deer, and hopefully the opossums too, because those critters carry a fatal horse disease I am very afraid of.

The coyotes are only trying to survive. And each new house built in this valley or on top of the hill removes habitat that previously supported their natural lives here. A cat looks as much like dinner to a coyote as a cottontail rabbit I would guess. They have to eat something to survive.

I found a piece of beautiful yellow silk and a box to wrap the skull and I asked my husband to bury it for me. He thinks the fur was too brown, and the skull too small to be Ashlee. But Ashlee's fur was tinged brown, and visible in the right light. Also skulls always are smaller without the flesh remaining. It could be a different cat, but I don't think so.

In any case, what was left of this kitty was given a proper burial in the yard among the rest of our beloved pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge.

Comments

[lauren]

Ashlee was gorgeous!