My pride took a bit of a knock this morning when I discovered that Poe's weird skittish behaviour has not been his instinctive concern over me!
Poe has had a couple of foster parents and has seen many changes in his life, something which similarly and sadly happens to many children of the human kind.
He more than likely was the son of a single Mom, and was taken to the SPCA in Johannesburg, and that's where my son and his gal saw him when they went in search of a feral baby.
Apparently, all the other kittens were huddling in the corner but Poe boldly strolled over to them; so they always say, he chose them, not the other way around!
Poe happily lived with them for around four years until they decided to emigrate. Unfortunately, many practicalities made it impossible to take him with across the waters.
Arthur and I were very excited when they announced that we were going to have a grandchild, but our excitement at the prospect of finally becoming grandparents was squashed with the next announcement, not a request, by the way, it was a grandchild of the feral kind!
And so Poe was brought to Durban.
His first set of foster parents stayed on for three weeks to help him adapt to his new environment while getting to know his foster grandparents.
He then was left solely in the care of the two of us oldies, and in a very different climate. Coming from the dry Highveld to the subtropical Kwazulu Natal coastal region amid a hot and humid summer must have been quite a shock, besides the trauma of losing his foster parents.
He soon settled in even though we clashed heads in the beginning as we had attracted many garden birds which of course was way too tempting for this young man. When he brought in his first trophy I was NOT impressed, so we added a bell to his collar to warn the birds, but Poe, like any other cat, strikes at the speed of lightning, so the beautiful little garden birds have no chance!
A couple of weeks before Arthur's passing, Poe started behaving oddly. He does not like sitting on our laps, but suddenly took to jumping on Arthur's lap. He even gave me that honour, and looked up at me with big eyes, as if he wanted to say something! He for sure sensed there was something wrong with his grandpa Daddy.
He really missed Arthur in the beginning and started following me wherever I went, always under my feet, or sitting on top of my feet, as if to say: 'Don't you leave me now as well!'
Poe's been striking many weird poses while trying to cool down.
I indeed left him for six weeks when I visited my son in the Netherlands two months later, I could not smuggle a cat into Europe after all!
So recently, just before I went in for abdominal surgery, he started behaving oddly again. I was not well, and of course in a lot of pain afterward. He was not happy when I rejected him when he tried jumping on my lap, and actually nipped me on my leg later that day.
I've learnt that Poe does not take kindly to rejection!
This week, he suddenly started meowing intently and getting frustrated as I could not figure out what he wanted. We leave a window open for him to get in and out during the night, but the morning ritual is to open the door leading to the verandah, and he's usually out in a flash once he's sniffed to see if there's danger lurking somewhere. I noticed he was very hesitant this week.
When I opened the kitchen door earlier than usual this morning, everything made sense.
A pack of at least eight Banded Mongooses were running right outside my kitchen door.
We had seen them a couple of times previously, but it was at the very bottom of our property, I'd never seen them so close to the house!
I ran to get my phone to take a pic but only managed to capture one straggler outside my dining room window.
Apologies, the images are not too clear.
I learnt that cats are very afraid of them, and Poe has reason to be as they will attack if they see another animal, especially a cat who loves hunting. They may believe part of our garden is their territory!
Mongooses are also known for their ability to kill venomous snakes, such as cobras, due to their speed, agility, and cunning.
AND!
Mongooses are sometimes referred to as βthe most dangerous animals on the planet,β as they have had a significant impact on native species when introduced to non-native areas.
AND!!!
A mongoose bite can be painful and dangerous. They have finely pointed incisors and carnassial teeth, the largest of which is their canines, designed to grip and cause puncture wounds. This can often appear as small needle puncture marks, but even more dangerous is the bacteria in the Mongooseβs saliva, which can lead to several serious infections.
After this early morning discovery, my sliding door has remained closed while no one is in the living room! I certainly do not want to be part of any war between my Poe and a stray Mongoose that sniffs out a possible prey or opponent, but above all, I hope they stay out of his, and my way!
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