It’s been so frigging hot here (and humid). Since I don’t have the air conditioners in yet, the inside of the house has been very uncomfortable. Three days of this summer weather until it storms later today and goes back to normal. I didn’t sleep all that well and my allergies are going haywire.
And, I saw a lot of bird feathers near the shed, which means one of the cats got a bird and I’m very upset. Especially so, since I’m not hearing my doves and doves are often the victims of cats. I have no way of proving it was one of the doves, but I hear my lonesome dove all the time and I’m not hearing him. I really love him.
So I called Don this morning and cried. I know many of you are cat lovers, but I don’t support letting them roam, especially when there are no fences involved out here in the country. If you’re feeding them and they’re not feral, they should be in your house. They are devastating the songbird population.
I’m angry.
Moving on.
I bought hanging plants for the front of the house the other day. I thought these were the same ones I usually buy, but it turns out they’re not! They’re lobelia. What was I thinking? Answer: I wasn’t. But I like lobelia and sometimes a change is good, so we’ll see how these guys thrive here. They’re awfully pretty.
Leaves are popping out all over the place, even on the maple, which is usually one of the last (except for the catalpa) to leaf out. Three days of 90 degree weather will do that.
So I’ll wait out the heat – unless I cave and try to haul the A/C units in the house by myself. That’s what happened last year.
Happy Friday.
Not an easy few days for you! I hope your allergies give you a break and that the hot, humid weather heads out to sea and you get better rest. I hope you have a dolly or a wagon to move those A/C units. Don’t hurt your back. Hopefully those can wait a bit until you have more help. I don’t blame you for crying. You need Don. It’s hard being on your own. At least you have friends and neighbors. Make sure you see people and talk, even if it is only while running errands. Good luck with the allergies.
If I can get through today, I’ll wait until Don is home to put them in.
I really love that lobelia! Hope it does well. Right now it looks very happy!
We also have roaming cats around here and I often see the piles of feathers they leave. Such a sad surprise to find. I have to force myself to try to forget about them. For the years that this shack was empty and abandoned, I think the neighborhood cats took possession of the place and they still treat us like interlopers in their world.
Your heat wave is shocking! We saw pictures taken at the lake house yesterday, where the temps were in the high eighties and still there is ice on the lake! It can’t last long at that rate—just more of the Crazeeeeeey new normal!
It’s heartbreaking. I can’t swear it was my dove, but I have a feeling it was. I’m praying that I’ll be surprised someday soon by his presence in my tree or at the birdbath.
Oh, I hope so, too.
I adore blue lobelia! Watch out for hot winds; I have lost many lobelia on a hot, windy day.
Yes, I’ll watch out. I took them down the other day when we had a hot wind.
“For the love of lobelia”
It is so beautiful – it loves to be evenly watered!
They really got nailed in last night’s windstorm, even though I took them down from their hangers. I’ve already been out to water them, so here’s hoping they bounce back.
I get so grumpy when it’s hot and I can’t sleep. I hope it changes soon. I love love cats but hate hate when they get birds(makes me cry). Mine are always indoors but we have a few in the neighborhood that roam. Sigh! The plants are so pretty. I’ve not planted anything yet, but might get something done by mid May! I’m having a little overnight getaway to visit some friends and I’m so looking forward to a little respite.
I don’t understand people having a cat and then letting it roam. It’s unsafe for the birds. And it’s dangerous for the cats.
Oh, I know what you mean about turning on the air so early. Tough not to though when you have allergies. So sad to hear about your suspicions about the bird. We have 2 cats who are only allowed out of the house rarely. I let them prowl the front porch or the patio bricks out back. But I stand over them the entire time and, in the 13 yrs we’ve had them, they’ve probably spent a grand total of 45 minutes outside. I actively encourage birds to visit our garden by filling lots of feeders. I would feel so guilty of one of our little darlings got her paws on one of them. Your blooms are looking lovely, as usual.
That’s why I never have bird feeders. Because of those cats.
Boo-hiss on whichever got whichever bird in your yard. Obviously it’s just Nature with cats, but I agree with you. Pet cats should remain inside unless the owner has a roofed catio or something else that limits the cat’s roaming. Safer for the cat, MUCH safe for neighborhood birds. Case closed. On the bright side, that is one gorgeous hosta you have there! That Spring green color is heavenly. Hoping the storm comes a little early as I could use some humidity relief too. The complex where I live hasn’t started installing ACs yet – for those of us that have them – and my apartment was 85 [!!!] last night. Ugghhhh. Have a great – and cooler – weekend! Peace.
#Resist
#ProtectMueller
I want to go scream at my neighbor, who also, by the way, but down two branches on my tree with out my permission.
I know how you feel about your wild life. We are turning our yard into a bird and Monarch Butterfly way station.and have similar issues with the neighbor’s cat. I bought a small but loud bell from the craft store and politely asked said neighbor to let her cat wear it. It serves as an alarm for the birds and works most of the time. Sorry for the loss of your sweet Dove. We had a mal-formed butterfly and cried when it couldn’t fly. Then I read that Trump is returning 57K Refugees to Central America. Life can sure be sucky sometimes!
-Eileen in Fla.
It just breaks my heart. The birds, the deer that got hit by a car in front of my house recently, the refugees. It’s all too much.
We have always had indoor kitties. Although our newest one is a darter…. he has darted out onto the deck a couple of times, but he is “captured” each time and brought back in. The last time I asked him where exactly he thought he could go and have it better than he does here. There was no answer. He does love going from window to window all day watching the critters outside.
I never planted lobelia until last year when I used it in a few pots. I absolutely love the striking blue color. I planted two pots with red geraniums and the lobelia last year and they were my favorites.
I hope you feel better. Allergies are absolutely no fun. And the humidity has really returned here, too. So early. We had over 5 inches of rain yesterday. It was just crazy. Can’t even fathom what the mosquito population will be in a few weeks. I plan to go out today and turn over everything that captured any amount of that rain. I hope your day gets better as it progresses, Claudia. Sometimes a good old cry does wonders! Did Don say how much fun their show was last night??
The allergies are off the charts right now. I was working outside a lot the other day when it was very windy, so that didn’t help.
Don was mixed up about the show. Last night’s show was bought out by a charity. The all Parrothead show is in a few weeks.
I would be cranky if it were that hot in my house! If you decide to bring the A/C units in by yourself, you’ll probably get cooler weather by the time you plug them in! Be careful.
I love my three cats, and the three who shared my life previously. They’re family members, so I’d do anything to keep them safe, which includes keeping them indoors. They lived out in the streets for the first nine months of their lives in a rather bad neighborhood, and it’s a miracle they not only survived, but were rescued when the car rescue people deemed them able to be socialized. Despite all that time outdoors, they are not interested in going out. I leave my screened patio door and windows open for them to sniff the breeze and nap beside, and they are content. No domesticated cat needs to go outside, and many feral cats can adapt to co-existence with humans, and also stay inside. I’m so sorry your mourning dove has not been cooing. It might hopefully mean it’s just somewhere else for the moment. My mated pair was gone for over a year when my garden was being relandscaped, and now, I have a pair that comes into the garden every week or so. I like to think they are the same doves.
I think it will be cooler by tonight, so I’m just trying to hang in there and wait on the A/C.
I hope that I’m surprised to see my dove in the next few days – that would make me cry tears of relief.
Bless your heart Claudia! Those of us that have central air and heat forget almost what it’s like not to have it automatically. I do remember as a young person, many years ago, living in our Tampa home with no A C, sleeping on the terraso floor because it was the only way to get cool at night. The weather is so crazy everywhere it’s so frustrating to have a EPA that won’t even admit we have a problem let alone try to do something about it. Hopefully the rain coming will help and your sweet birds will be safe.
Scott Pruitt needs to be fired. And we need a new beginning at the EPA.
The yellow crowned night herons that inhabit our live oaks for four months of the year have driven away the mourning doves that once nested there.
I love our mourning doves – there’s a pair that lives on the property and my single dove, as well. But now, I’m afraid one of them is gone.
Although we don’t currently have a cat because our rescued golden is intensely interested in them, I’m a cat lover. However, I don’t love having the neighbor’s cat roaming free and defecating in my organic garden! Or sitting on our fence while our golden goes crazy when he spots it from the patio doors. Plus, we’ve had coyote frequently taking small pets in our neighborhood. One neighbor let his small dog out after dinner, heard her squeal and ran out to discover that a coyote had her. Cats frequently disappear. It’s not safe to the cat, either.
Exactly. It’s dangerous for the cats. Outdoor cats have shorter lives.
My cat is an indoor. I mourn the loss of a bird. We have had some lovely incidents with birds. One year, there were flickers on the arbor out back, I stepped onto our deck and stopped short, but our cat followed me out (he was not able to go off the deck, too high) and the male flicker suddenly was pretending his wing was hurt until the others flew off then suddenly he stopped pretending and flew off too. I had heard birds did such things but had never seen it! Also we used to have crows who would sit in the trees and coo at us. They also would leave feathers in the yard, one at a time. I think it was as a thank you. They do that. Leave gifts for humans who put out food.
Love the story about the flicker, Jan. We have crows but we don’t have feeders (because of the cats) so we don’t get a gift.
Our feeder was up on a tower that used to be part of a swing/play set, so the cats could not get near it. My husband had a ladder up the tower but has gotten to old to climb it.
Yes, it would have to be somewhere that cats couldn’t get to.
I am sorry about the bird. I love the song birds in our yard! My 3 cats are only allowed to “hunt” them from inside our screened deck and in windows! And we have some Tufted Titmouse birds that torture them because they know they are safe from the cats. They come right up to the window or screen and the cats go crazy! Long ago, I had indoor/outdoor cats and then I married a veterinarian and he ended the outdoors for my cats . He had seen too many cats who had gotten hurt outdoors. Keeping outdoor cats is not only bad for the birds but also for the cats! I love your new plant. I’ve gotten those for my front porch before. My husband picked out Fusia plants this year. They are a little showy for me but they are healthy. I think it might be hotter where you are than here at n NC! Stay cool!
I think it’s been proven that outdoor cats have shorter life spans. It’s really hot here today but the weather should break tonight.
Hang in there, Claudia! It’s raining here in North Texas this morning and as a result my husbands allergies are so much better. He’s been miserable for the past month, poor fella. All this cleansing rain is heading your way!
Rain is headed here tonight (if we get a thunderstorm) and definitely on Sunday. Thanks, Teresa.
Oh, Dear Claudia,
Sorry to hear you aren’t having a good day…that happens. Not sleeping well is no fun.
Enjoy the lobelia – it is one of my favorites to look at, but mine always fizzles out, so I don’t allow if to tempt me at the nursery any more.
I, too, do not like roaming cats….keep them INSIDE! Too many songbirds are killed by them. Also, I recently read that people shoot over 20 million doves each year – how heartless and absurd!
I hope mine doesn’t fizzle out. I’ll have to watch it carefully.
I can’t imagine why anyone would want to shoot a gentle dove. People make me so angry!
You sound like you’re having a Friday The 13th rather than a Friday The 4th. Getting overheated can make anybody cranky; I can’t take it at all, so I feel for you. Of course where I live in Calif, I run the a/c year’round. Maybe it’ll cool down enough that you can wait to move in the room air conditioners when Don is home again since your back could be vulnerable to carrying that kind of weight, especially upstairs.
Can I just say, you have the most lovely array of BLUE flowers in your midst; I don’t seem to have ever heard of lobelia. I may have seen it and thought it was some variation of plumbago although plumbago is usually a lighter blue. You’ve really got the eye for the great plants, Claudia!
Cats. I do know cats. A cat is naturally curious and loves to be outdoors, but the absolute ONLY safe place for a cat is indoors. Unfortunately by being indoors 24/7, we repress their natural instincts, they often don’t get enough exercise and stimulation, so it’s a hard call. You can control a dog on a leash outside but it’s nearly impossible to control a cat on one; thus, the cat is out there, you don’t know where he goes and what he does (it’s in his DNA to hunt and roam). As for ferals, I feed ferals precisely to keep them from eating birds (full tummy is good) and thankfully it only rarely happens in my environment that we lose a bird to a cat (and we are very bird-concentrated in my part of the subdivision). It is very distressing to see any creature dead (or its remains) so I’m sorry you’ve had to experience this, Claudia; maybe it wasn’t the dove (let’s hope). Doves are at risk because they’re heavier and slow to take flight.
You’ll have a better day tomorrow; I just know you will! Hang in there.
It should break tonight, so I’ll wait until Don is home again to put them in.
My neighbors feed their cats and still they kill birds. I know it’s their nature, but if you’re going to keep a cat as a pet, it should be an indoor cat.
I am loving the lobelia you purchased…hope it works out for you. Our maples are starting to leaf out…our birch is going to take another few days. But, I’m finally seeing hosta shoots.
I am sorry to hear about one of your feathered friends. Funny, how we become attached to our wildlife…always looking out for them. We name them…your Henry…my Charlie, the most dominate male hummingbird. And, we grieve for them, when we haven’t seen them. Always wondering.
Hope it’s cooling down for you…will Don be coming home to help with the air conditioners? Enjoy your day! ;)
I’m so attached to the wildlife around here. I want to protect each and every creature.
I have had to clean up my doves quite a few times, it may not be a cat although they do kill in my yard too. I have had a red tailed large hawk come and take birds. He sits on my garage roof and watches and swoops down, I have seen him from my kitchen window after taking one and sits with feathers flying until I come out and of course it’s too late and he flies away with it leaving me the mess. Not sure what can be done, I don’t have any birdhouses or big bird baths any more as it was getting to be too many so we decided not to “feed” them. Shame on every person who allows their cats to roam saying, oh they come home, well someday they may not. So all cat lovers, keep your cats in or put them on a leash attached to a clothes line in your own yard if you want them out. Hope you feel better soon.
I agree wholeheartedly, Barbara. I don’t think it was a hawk but I can’t be sure. Pretty sure by where the feathers were that it was one of the cats. I don’t have bird feeders – and I would love to – because it would leave the birds more vulnerable to the cats.
There have been hawk warnings around our area this spring. Seems some of them can pick up a 10 pound cat or dog. We have a toy poodle and a shih tzu, and they only go out with us. I know how you feel. Last summer I caught my neighbor’s cat hiding in my flower garden stalking a hummingbird! Made me so mad. Most of my neighbors, if they have cats, keep them inside. However, there is one family that does not take care of their house, yard, children, or cat. That was the cat hunting the hummingbird. I guess there is always one family who do not respect themselves or others. Hope you spot your dove soon.
I do too, Dottie. I heard a dove this morning but it was far off. My dove hung around our property.
It is so sad about the birds. The heat has been unbearable. We put up our air-conditioner. To make matters worse we all colds and allergies. Hope your allergies are better. If I lived near you I would help put up your air-conditioners. We three sisters do ours. I tell people we are stronger than we look.
Marilyn
I did them all by myself last year, but I don’t want to repeat that. It was really hard on my back! Yay for you and your sisters!
Hey Claudia, If you want to just make a phone call. I believe Your friends will LOVE to help You.
Probably feel bad if they knew you needed help when Don was away,,and you didn’t call on them.
That hanging plant is Hypnotic!
As A Lover of all things natural, and organic, and abhor, violence, just as I do.
You know deep inside that cats are going to be cats, horses, horses snails, snails, you will just have to,do something with those feelings before you start to get sick again! I hate to lose songbirds too. – XOX Judy A. I hope I didn’t preach.
I know you meant well, Judy, but talking about my feelings and letting myself express them is what keeps me healthy. Repressing them is what makes people sick. That dove has been part of our family here for years.
Domesticated cats should be kept inside. And I don’t want them on my property.
We went from winter to full blown summer in one day too. Been very windy today.
Hope it straightens out for you soon.
Very, very windy last night. Hopefully, everything will settle down today!
It’s odd, in the UK it is unusual and often considered cruel to keep your cat indoors. We lived on a busy road when we first got our cat and he is an indoor cat. I am a touch over protective and couldn’t face him being injured. I am in a pretty small minority of UK owners. In Oz I understand there are tough laws about keeping cats to,protect their wildlife.
I’m surprised that more isn’t being done to acknowledge their effect on the songbird population, Rue. If I was a cat owner, that cat would stay inside. They kill other critters and they can be injured or killed themselves!
Hey Claudia – We hit 86 for three days and I turned on the AC for the dog who was over- heated. Well – for us too – as sleep for me is impossible in the heat and my allergies are so much better with AC. Love the lobelia – I think it is the truest blue. I love your front porch – would love to come and sit there with a cup of coffee and chat about flowers- birds and life in general. I think you are missing Don – I’ve been there and it is hard sometimes when our soulmates are gone – he’ll be home and then everything will suddenly be better – Like from this winter to spring – what a difference it makes to our spirit . Take care – Mary Ellen
Spring does make a difference to our spirit, Mary Ellen. And thank goodness for FaceTime. I get to look at Don’s sweet face and cry if I need to!
I’m not going to be popular with this comment – but here goes. No disrespect intended, just a response from an indoor outdoor cat owner. We no longer have cats because after our last two died of old age, our new rescued dog let us know he is not cat friendly, so we decided not to adopt cats again lest they be preyed upon in my house. Our farm cats were indoor/outdoor. And when I was growing up in a suburb, our cats were also indoor outdoor.
It’s absolutely true that cats are -safer- kept inside. I’m not sure that means it’s absolutely whats best for them. (We’re all safer kept inside). Some cats adapt to that just fine, but by their very nature they are hunters, explorers, prowlers. Most cats, given the opportunity, even if it’s just to waltz around the yard a little – love the opportunity to do so and it is no doubt good for them mentally and physically to get the exercise and mental stimulation – it is their natural way of being and I believe that holds importance too.
I know most vets recommend cats be kept indoors. There are definitely dangers – like the road, predators. As with most things in life, there are pros and cons. I always chose to let me cats come and go as they pleased, and they lived long healthy lives. Did they get the occasional mouse and bird? Well Yes, and I didn’t like when it happened because I love mice and birds too – but that’s all part of the natural world, the natural chain of events. I think declawing is far more inhumane and a poor practice than letting cats come and go from the outdoors.
At least in my area (Connecticut) there are many many many birds. There are also many barn cats and pet cats, etc who live outside or come and go like mine. Barn cats are pretty much a staple in horse country anywhere. You said that cats are ruining the songbird population – I hadn’t heard this, but I will google it. Perhaps because I live in a semi rural area it’s not evident.
Since your neighbor’s cat is upsetting you so, have you reached out to tell them you’re finding the remains of birds around your house because their cat is visiting? I know if I had received a call from a neighbor, I certainly wouldn’t want one of the animals in my care to be a nuisance to anyone else and would do something about it – I feed the birds here and my neighbors cat visits often, but we have so many birds she couldn’t possibly put a dent in the population and I haven’t yet found evidence of attacks. A squirt gun, water pistol you can get at any toy store, etc… works really well to deter a cat you see coming into the yard. For now, perhaps try that.
Well – I googled. Indeed, there are studies that indicate the stray and outdoor cat population does have an impact on birds, as does human encroachment on territories, pesticides and other toxic contamination of habitats, etc. The overpopulation of uncared for cats is a big problem, for sure – very upsetting how many are euthanized daily in this country… and how many are strays, continuously having to hunt for food.
Believe me, I hate that there are so many stray cats, feral cats, uncared for cats. It’s tragic. These particular cats aren’t strays. They’re pets. But strays are another thing entirely. One of our readers, Vicki, routinely cares for feral cats that live near her house. She’s tried to rescue them but they won’t let her. But she worries about them, feeds them, and does everything she can to protect them.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion and I thank you for weighing in. But if you have a cat, that cat is a pet. I’m not sure why that is different than a dog. I am responsible – or was responsible – for my dogs and I would never let them roam. They were either on a leash or outside in their enclosed corral with my eyes on them. I’ve never understood why cat owners feel cats are somehow special because they like to roam and hunt so that means they can let them roam and hunt, yet call them pets. If they’re pets, they’re domesticated. They are fed. They don’t need to roam and hunt.
Of course I’ve mentioned it to my neighbors. They seem to think it’s all right for them to roam, including on my property. I also routinely shoo the cats off. But I can’t be here 24 hours a day watching for cats, nor should I have to.
I love my birds and that particular bird lived on this property for a number of years and felt safe here. I called him my lonesome dove because he was alone and was looking for a mate. Since I was just outside picking up his feathers, you can see why I am upset that a bird that I loved dearly and, by the way, spoke about on this blog many times, was killed by one of the cats.
Just as you do, I have strong feelings about this. I live in a semi-rural area, too. But I don’t get, nor won’t accept, that there are two sets of rules for dogs and cats. I worked for a vet for years. I’ve seen too many instances of cats being killed or maimed because they were pets allowed to roam. And I’ve seen too many birds killed or maimed by cats.
Sorry to hear about the bird/cat issue, Claudia. I solved mine by sending a letter to all my neighbors saying a cat is wandering my yard and almost became dog food when it jumped into my neighbors yard. So they might want to keep their wandering cat home. It did jump into the neighbors yard…..but they have a chihuahua and it wasn’t as fast as the cat. But…..they need not know that part! HA! Your yard is different, but maybe you can come up with something. Each day is a new day!
Yes, our property is open, as it is for everyone in the neighborhood. Thanks, Verna.