Cats in Spring

The cats come out in Spring, though we are working at keeping them within the confines of the backyard.  They are watched and given short  exploration periods.  Some cats were poisoned in our area and our eldest cat now suffers from a heart murmur that appears to be brought on by a bout of poisoning .  One neighbour is convinced our eldest cat somehow scratched her car. She is also convinced that one of the other neighbour’s tree is intentionally attacking her yard with leaves. For some reason, I keep thinking about H.P. Lovecraft’s classic ” The Cats Ulthar” (see H.P. Lovecraft tag).

” It is said that in Ulthar, which lies beyond the river Skai, no man may kill a cat; and this I can verily believe as I gaze upon him who sitteth purring before the fire. For the cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see. He is the soul of antique Aegyptus, and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroe and Ophir. He is the kin of the jungle’s lords, and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa. The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language; but he is more ancient than the Sphinx, and remembers that which she hath forgotten.”