Show No Fear

The cat, long, lean and quick moving, darted in front of me apparently out of nowhere and without the slightest warning. I saw only a blur of stripes and slammed on my brakes - the old car shuddered to a violent stop, narrowly missing a collision with my neighbor's parked pickup and sending my heart racing. This is how heart attacks happen, I thought to myself, the last thing I'll see is a stray cat tempting fate and then it'll be over.

The cat, now in full attack mode, was half standing, half sitting at the foot of another neighbor's tree. A squirrel sat defiantly in the branches, chattering and scolding like mad, but showing no fear. The cat launched itself upward and the squirrel simply skittered up a branch and continued its angry lecture. I parked the car and exited, advised the cat to give it up - You're outclassed, I tell him, You can't win. He ignored me and continued to climb stealthily. With each step he took, the squirrel simply danced a little higher and more out of reach, all the while hurling squirrel abuse downward. When he'd tired of the game, he simply scampered to the tallest branch and leaped to the telephone wires, then the closest roof. The cat, now several limbs up and having lost his prey, realized his position - less than favorable - and began to meow piteously. We all have troubles, I told him mildly, You might have listened when I warned you. The meowing rose an octave, became an angry screech, then a distressed wail, then a series of impatient demands. Not listening, I told him with a shrug, Get down your own self.

An hour passed, then another. The sky darkened with the threat of rain and from my window I could see the cat still lodged in the tree, still hear the protesting meows. I tried to ignore the image of him being there all night - cold, wet, miserable and loud - and finally, much against my better judgement, I headed for the garage, located the extension ladder and hauled it down the driveway, through the gate, and to the tree. Cursing each step, wondering if I were to fall how many bones could I break and still survive, and reasonably sure I was being cleverly manipulated, I began to climb. I reached the cat and before he could protest, snatched him off the limb, choke holded him into submission and tucked him tightly against my chest, slowly started back down. On the last rung, I loosened my grip and he sprang away, hit the ground running and fled.

It's hard to do a favor for a cat.