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Backyard Wildlife Warriors
Before this story begins, you should know that it has a happy ending. At the finale, you will be rewarded with baby birds chirping happily. But also know that before we get to the happy part, you, the reader, will be asked to navigate instances of animal imperilment and at least one reference to a somewhat gruesome death.
Animals that suffer in today’s tale do so at the paws of Seuss, accomplished huntress resident of our suburban home. Seuss is a tabby cat who appears innocuously innocent in appearance and demeanor until she delivers her bloody goods at your bedroom doorstep.
Our story begins with a pair of tree sparrows alighting in a birdhouse on our patio. It was our third summer in our home, and this was the first time any birds had made a residence of the small brown box tacked to an aspen tree, left by previous owners. My husband and I identified the birds with the pretty blue wings. We learned the male would gather feathers for the nest and the female would lay eggs that would hatch after about 11 days. We told our three children, who were just as excited about the new residents as we were.
But — the cat. Seuss will be four years old this summer. Within her first year, she demonstrated excellent hunting skills. Seuss doesn’t seem interested in actually killing anything, except for in a single alarming instance of a very, very slaughtered…
