We had a serious bit of snow last week, and the wind molded it into formidable drifts. Monumental shoveling was needed to get us out of the house and the car out of the garage.
Our herd of cats has a large outdoor enclosure (the catio), and it was also piled high with drifts. We kept the cat door to the catio firmly closed while the storm raged. But the next day, when the temperatures rose and the winds subsided, I decided it was time to open the cat flap.
What happened next needs some background information. Most of our cats were ferals. They started their lives as outdoor felines, unwanted and unloved by humans. Five years ago, during a spell when the temperatures plunged to -20 degrees, three feral tabbies showed up in our garage seeking shelter from the brutal temperatures. Since they came at separate times over a two week period and were different ages (according to our skilled vets), we knew they were not part of one litter. We adopted all three.
We named the last one to arrive Tabbytoo, because when I found her on our garage doormat, I exclaimed, “There’s another Tabby here, too!” She is the smallest of our rescues and very feisty, batting at any other cat who gets in her space. I must confess we have nicknamed her Bad Girl as she is our little troublemaker.
When I opened the cat flap to the enclosure, Tabbytoo marched right out, sunk up to her tummy in snow and keep plowing forward. Encountering a 4-foot high drift, she took charge. Her ears flattened down, ready for battle. She attacked the drift like it was prey and whacked it with her paws. Her head and body were soon covered with snow, but she kept charging the drift. After cutting the snow bank down to size, she marched inside to warm up.
Although not overly fond of her cat roommates, she did a terrific job of opening up their play space. Our little girl is fearless.
I had so much fun watching her take on the snow that I never thought of taking pictures. But here she is heading out the next day. Note that the snow is only cat-ankle deep now. Snow bunnies have nothing on our little girl.
What fun! I wish I was there to see this happening. Our Maxi is like Russ. He does not like snow even though his first year was outside or in a barn. When he is outside, he tiptoes over the snow as fast as he can. Aren’t cats fun!