The Scent of Things to Come
Welcome to another Cat Saturday which celebrates the feline beauty, mystery, and adventure of our fur gang. You have to have a keen eye to spot Gris Gris; usually lurking in deep shadows or slinking down a garden path. The irises have popped their regal purple petals and the greens vibrate in that early summer shade verging on psychedelic.
If you haven’t already entered our two giveaways this week, please do. Today is the last day to enter to win two autographed copies of Cat Daddy and enter to win a fabulous Kitty Pyramid Love feline art? Be sure to stop by Cat Wisdom 101 tomorrow for a gorgeous giveaway.
Gris Gris doesn’t like me following him around and usually disappears into the underbrush but not before giving his favorite wild border a vigorous urine spritzing. He punctuates his scent marking with a dramatic flick of his vibrating tail. For some curious reason they always face west or towards the sun on sunny days. A little further down the same border, Gris and Merlin become excited sniffing but it’s a private scent world I’m not privy to.
For a blind old boy like Merlin, natural scents bring welcome mental stimulation. Most of time he naps but being escorted outdoors daily for a scent fest is like watching time reverse. He perks up with delight as if jolted with caffeine. As cats age all their senses diminish, so imagine how boring that would be for an indoor geriatric cat. No wonder all they want to do is sleep! I recommend keeping bringing some of the outdoors indoors by keeping windows open during pleasant weather. Keep their catnip fresh and give them a pot of grass to sniff and perhaps a briny seashell to awake their senses.
Gris Gris guides Merlin but he navigates just fine with his whisker, tail and nose. Odin finds his pace way too slow and races around until the heat makes him reconsider a shady spot lounging as cats do on their side to rest and recover.
If Odin sits pretty, it’s not to pose or please me but to have a better vantage point for hunting. We managed to save just about every creature this week from “wild boy” and wonder if it’s a scent of things to come.
Thankfully Domino Gris no longer cares for the thrill of the hunt. He might make a half-hearted leap but his killer days are over. He’d rather play “Eat, Prey, Love” with his brothers. And so the natural cycles of life wax and wane.
We keep Odin amused indoors as much as possible with a rotating selection of toys and hideaways but it’s no surprise his favorite games involve hunting and killing. I like giving cats several places to hide and perch. Some remain in set locations and some are moved on occasion. Cats like the security of familiar spots so it’s a fine balancing act of creating security while preventing boredom.
Odin still loves his “spaceship” which I move to different locations for novelty. You can see his curious imagination at work and yes those claws are fully extended around their prey. Teddy or his eyeglasses never win. Do you have a killer in your house?
15 Comments
libramoon
Cats look lovely against that bright green grass don’t they? I love to watch them outside. I especially like the photo of Domino’s back end!
Today, Giuseppe reached his paw under the bottom of the screen door in the basement and caught himself a little vole, who was simply busily on his way somewhere else and running past. Oh well.
Kathy Thompson
I was gifted just today with a fledgling bird. This is the one part of catdom that I don’t care for but it is the way nature intended. My Izzy is limited to my yard, which isn’t as lush and beautiful as yours Layla, so shes has only “hunted” and “caught” huge beasts like butterflies. The pics as always are fabulous.
Luvs to all Skeeter and Izzy >^..^<
boomermuse
Was the bird dead or alive? Odin brought us a fledgling robin a couple of days ago, which we cared for until we found wildlife rehabber.Hubby is driving the bird there now.
Anonymous
I also have merlin he is a tiger boy
Pp
Brian
Thanks for taking us on the yard romp with you!
CATachresis
On a cold damp day in Wales it is lovely to feel the warmth and humour from 101 🙂 “Eat, Prey, Love” lol
Yes it is killing fields time here too and yes I have a killer :(( I think the courtyard would be knee deep in carcasses if I didn’t clear a way tne offerings!!
Marilia
Lovely!
Abby
I love the way Caren describes your front and back yards…an enchanted forest, yes indeed your cats do have a magical enchanted forest to safely play in.
purrs
>^,,^<
♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥
Deb Barnes - Zee and Zoey
Lovely morning with you and yours… enjoyed my cup of coffee as you delighted me with your beautiful photos and engaging words. Have a wonderful weekend!
boomermuse
Thanks for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure.
Caren Gittleman
the area where you live looks like an enchanted forest…how wonderful to live in a safer area for cats. I could never let a cat out here because I live in such a commercial area.
Your photos are so full of peace, thank you for sharing
boomermuse
We’re very fortunate but it takes a lot of work to keep a close eye out. Peace, love & purrs to you…
Kathryn
Aww, the greatest photos.
Outdoors and the cats are so adorable. Our boys are asleep right now. They stood on my chest to wake me up to tell me they were out of wet food and dry food.
Such gorgeous photos. The green, the light, the shadow and the cats are perfect together. It is like being there. It is like a movie, where you are really in the scene.
We do give our boys plenty of catnip and fresh grass. Mao eats onion skin, too, but that’s the way he is.
Merlin is doing well for his age.
So nice to see all the boys at play.
boomermuse
Kathryn, thanks for this. I like to think the photos tell a story and while I resist videos I will be posting more in the future.
AnnaZed
I love those top two photos ~ artistic, really very!