A Change of Pace

My middle-aged cat is sitting in his usual perch at the back window.  These days he seems more interested in surveying his area from the inside.  Yes, he's starting to show his age.

Just last summer Scout was happy to go outside for long periods of time.  He would slink along the perimeter of the back courtyard looking for whatever he sensed was out of place.  Mostly he was bent on keeping one orange tabby from entering his self-proclaimed area.  The damn tabby did not understand about feline squatter's rights. Scout had been here for 11 years, he had left his scent all over the place as a warning to others that this area was spoken for...there was nothing for any intruders to see here.

Orange Cat has been persistent over the past year or so.  He showed up from time to time, even having the nerve to lounge in the bushes on my back patio as he watched the birds fly in and out of the feeder.  There were more than a few scuffles between Lord of the Manor Scout and the uninformed tabby.  There were the loud howls and cries of a cat fight, tufts of gray and orange fur and even a little bit of blood. 

Eventually Orange Cat got the message.  He hasn't been around too much and I think Scout is thankful for that.  You see, my feline squatter is getting older.  Even though he understands his responsibility for guarding what he sees as his, he prefers to do most of his protecting from the inside.  Time outside is limited to 20 or 30 minute jaunts instead of the 2-hour security walks of just last year.

Bedtime comes early for Scout these days.  In fact, there are many nights when I head up to bed and see that my protective cat has already turned in for the evening.