Of Cats and Screens

Life was hectic today. I was juggling multiple priorities and almost missed the frozen cat outside the patio door.

The cat was fixed in a museum quality pose - ears slanted forward, teeth exposed in a fierce snarl, front leg permanently locked in what might have been the tail end of a vicious swipe, and fur standing on end as though a hundred kilowatts of electricity had just coursed through the animal.

Incredibly lifelike I thought before hurrying on to my next task.

Wait a minute. That was our cat.

I turned back and discovered I had caught only half the picture. The neighbor cat was in the opposite corner of the deck, locked in a similar pose. The two felines looked like prize fighters waiting for the bell to ring.

I opened the patio door and - neighbor cat took off at a dead run. It ran right through the screening of the screen room on the patio below.

Had it been a carton, the screen would have had a hole in the shape of a cat with four appendages splayed out like an X.

Cartoon it was not, the screen offered momentary resistance before giving way in a six foot long diagonal tear.

I guess I'll be dining with the mosquitoes this evening.