After my Darling Husband read my blog yesterday, he informed me that the Tale of The Devil Cat needed to be told.
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| Not our Devil Cat, but pretty close… |
Several years ago, a Sweet Kitty wandered onto the porch of Sanborn Manor. Being an Animal Lover, my Father in Law tried to befriend the Large White Feline. It hissed at him and ran away.
That’s fine. Some cats just take a little time to warm up to people, right? Oh the Naivety!
Soon, the stalking began.
During the day, Devil Cat could be seen skulking around in the woods, making expeditions across the yard to mark it’s territory. I often spied him stalking the kids like a lion as they played in the yard. It terrorized Coco the Cat, a grumpy yet gentle creature who in his old age even tolerated the attacks of Darling Daughter (well, most of the time).
At night, it would rummage through garbage (how do Kitties get the lid off???), and find warm places inside the house to go potty and sleep. A favourite location for Devil Cat to hide was the Music Room above the Kitchen. We’re still trying to get the stink out!
We were all born in a barn – in Spring and Autumn (aka Fall), we leave the doors open to enjoy cool breezes and fresh air. With Devil Cat around, we had to be vigilant to keep the house shut up tight. Quality of life was greatly disrupted by this Evil Kitty.
Once, as Mother in Law prepared to turn in for the night, she heard a strange noise in the room. She turned on the light, and Devil Cat jumped and hissed and ran under the bed. It refused to budge. She tried ‘shoo-ing’ it, coaxing it, poking it with a stick. All it did was hiss and snarl. Finally, Devil Cat charged for the open door, practically knocking Mother in Law off her feet. It left a ‘gift’ in it’s wake.
The war was on. Devil Cat had to go.
We contacted Animal Control, got a cage and every night Father in Law faithfully, tirelessly put out the bait and set up the trap. Every morning we encountered one of two results:
1. A well fed possum patiently waiting to be set free, OR;
2. The cage upside down, food gone, trap door closed… evidence of Devil Cat’s other-worldly ability to escape our clutches.
The battle continued for several years.
Oh, how I longed for a BB Gun!
Every tactic to capture, frighten, or expel Devil Cat was thwarted.
One day, he just disappeared.
We rejoiced, and tried not to hope for the worst.
Read yesterday’s post, Backyard Paleontology, to find out what *may have* happened to Devil Cat.
I’m joining the Thirsty for Comments Thursday at Acting Balance. Stop by and join the fun!! 
You forgot to mention last year. Adelle got into bed downstairs and said emphatically, "Mommy, the bed stinks!!" Wow it sure did and it was soaked from the top cover to the bottom of the mattress with pee. DEVIL CAT pee. That was a hard one to clean up.
Oh My!!! I vaguely remember that, but I was so consumed with all the busy-ness around me, I don't think it sank in. Poor Adelle!!! So glad Devil Cat met his demise and is no longer stalking us!
Yes, there's really not room in this blog to tell of all that Devil Cat did to earn his name, especially if you want to keep this blog family-friendly… 😉
Given all the weird things happening at Sanborn Mansion right now (phones going out, computers crashing, etc), the ghost of Devil Cat may still be around….haha.
it must be pay back for using his remains for homeschool! LOL.
That picture is going to seriously give me nightmares. Crazy cats! I was chuckling the whole story but I feel for you. We had Satan's kitty growing up. She ONLY liked my brother and she made her perch on the dining room table. She would hiss and bite anyone who tried to use the dining room table so that table was off limits for years. I have no clue why my mom didn't just get rid of that cat.
Haha "Oh how I longed for a BB gun" lol.
I'm so sorry that you were plagued… hopefully the next kitty you adopt will be better suited to adoption…
Wow, you had a patient family. I would have thrown the kitty out if it acted like that… or perhaps you were unable to get close enough to take action. 😉
it will have to be a very special kitty indeed!
Awww poor kitty 🙁 He just needed extra loving!
Just to clarify… Devil Cat was a WILD cat – it may have been a cross between a feral cat and a Florida bobcat. Born and bred in the Woods that surround us in our Bird Sanctuary Neighbourhood. It did not need love nor did it desire love. Devil Cat only wanted food and to dominate it's territory. I don't have a problem with wild animals (we have foxes, racoons, possums, vultures, eagles, cougars, bobcats, snakes, deer and lots of other wonderful animals gracing our property), however, a wild animal that invades my house, terrorized my pets and kids, and leaves hideous, smelly messages on my furniture – that's a different story.
LOL!! If you met Devil Cat, you wouldn't say that! No one who met him felt that way…. some cats just can not be won over, because they have not desire to be.
ha, that was interesting (I especially loved the way you humorously narrated your story)! I'm a great lover of cats and I always assume they will be nice – although we did have similar experiences with one neighbor's cat who ate my cat's food and loved to poop on our veranda (wtf?). but we don't have any wild cats in our area and I never had a chance to meet one in person. however, I can imagine my boyfriend nodding while reading your tale as he's certain that cats are evil! 🙂
Thank you.