AMBER LOVE 12-OCT-2020 This work is supported by the generous backers who adore my cat stories at Patreon.com/amberunmasked and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and podcast.
Where We Left Off:
There was strange home invasion where Gus and Oliver tackled the perp and threw it around the house before the humans were able to chase it out the door.
The Pursued:
Over the summer, some of our surveillance of the local wolpertingers turned into Gus trying to go all Murder Man on a couple of the babies. Happy to say that these two cases did not end in bunny creature deaths which would be on my conscience not Gus’.
The first case occurred after several surveillance sessions of the larger, older wolpertingers as noted in case file no. 14-170 codename “Whispering Footsteps.” I had to wonder where those big fellas were when the babies were out looking for snacks.
I was coming down on a harsh tone about Gus writing these two up, but then I thought about it. Quite honestly, Gus might have been taking the baby critter home to adopt. WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE! But he did carry the critter all the way home to the back door and expected me to open it for him so he could go right in and present it to the family.
With Bunny #1, I specifically remember how I could feel the creature’s racing heartbeat when I took it away from Gus and carried it back to the woods. There’s video of both creature releases into the woods. Bunny #1 was speedy and showing no signs of slowing down even with a minor injury. My notes indicate there was blood on its body and on my shirt. And during this, Gus managed to lose his new pineapple Psych themed collar from Pugs2Persians. (*not officially Psych but pineapples).
I reviewed the notes of the July 12 and August 5 Gus vs. Critter incident reports in the daily briefings. I had noted the stress responses of each victim and how they were different. The first one went into what’s called the flight response. You probably know the first two identified trauma responses: fight or flight. There have been a couple more added to the scientific responses: freeze and the fourth is sometimes called cling or “fawn” to keep the alliteration; it also means submit. The second victim was definitely in the fighting response. It squirmed and shrieked. Both made me sad.
Perhaps because I didn’t allow Gus to adopt Bunny #1, he decided not to deliver Bunny #2 to the back door. He took me on a pursuit and when I finally caught up and took the creature from him, I felt so awful. This little one was screaming so much. I managed to get one glove on this time and hold the bunny tight against my chest until I got back to the woods. Bunny #2 was released in the same spot as the first. Due to their similar size, I strongly believe these creatures were siblings.
These more substantial creatures obviously would require a lot more effort to kill than a house mouse. At least because of that, most of Gus’ attacks end in rescue and release. People think all cats allowed near wildlife are responsible for millions and millions of deaths when the truth points more to a big bad villain not a conspiracy of cats trying to rule the world. Human greed leads to dehabitation, the energy and fishing industries, pollution, and other causes of why there are impacts on wildlife population.
Bunny rabbits and wolpertingers aren’t just cute and fuzzy. They are warriors too. Like the chipmunks, they may look like helpless creatures, but they have strong teeth and claws. That’s not what justifies Gus’ occasionally brutal behavior. He’s a feline. Critters are prey. He’s about five years old and still has some pep in his step though not like he did a few years ago when he was a svelte, fast, forest panther. His panther instincts are why he’s exonerated in these tragic events. Neither of the victims needed triage.
Case Findings:
Gus captured two different baby wolpertingers within the boundaries of the estate property. The first he tried to bring home; the second he tried to run away with. I like to think he was going to team up with them and have an exciting adventure across the mountain looking for treasure before returning safely home. Both critters were released.
Case Status: Closed
