Big city Kracker Cats come to visit; Little Bear causes big scare

Slick - wild cat at heart.

Yes, I had planned to catch up on all the back-logged Kracker Cat photos that I had taken during the time that I used to tell the Romeo-Diane Benson story, but I did not know that two Kracker Cats were about to come out from the big city to visit us.

I refer, of course, to Diamond and Slick, who live with Tryskuit in Anchorage. Since these two cats took the time and trouble to travel all the way out here to Wasilla, courtesy demands that I devote this post to them. 

Look at Slick as he sits atop an old Ford junker that we cannot seem to sell. Does he look a little wild? Yes, he does have a wild streak - one that was about to take a frightening turn.

Look at those wild eyes!

When Slick and Diamond visit, Tryskuit normally turns them loose in the front yard, still harnessed to about fifteen feet of leash each. Then she and I and sometimes Sunflower and any other humans who desire all stand around in the sun and visit, always keeping our eyes out to be certain neither of these two cats wander out of the yard.

Usually, this is no problem. Usually, they limit their leashed roaming to a very small portion of the yard. Today, though, Slick's wild side burst to the surface. Twice, he momentarily disappeared from eyesight; once, I had to track him all the way passed the wrecked airplane that I keep at the side of the house and into the back yard.

I quickly spotted him and called to him. He came at me with his head hunkered low and eyes set right on me, like a cougar stalking a lamb. The black hairs that cover his spine stood straight up; his tail was pouffy. He must have picked up the scent of strange cats and now he was both frightened and angry.

"Slick!" I soothed, "Slick! Little Bear! Bear Meach! it's just me." He meowed, came to my extended hand and rubbed his chin against it.

Tyrskuit spoke of how irrational, spooked and strange "Little Bear Meach," as she likes to call him, can suddenly become at the scent of strange cats. Once, he had apparently picked up such a scent from within their own home, and had suddenly leaped into attack against Tryskuit herself.

Diamond, who tackled Little Bear Meach.

Diamond reacted quickly, and tackled poor Bear Meach before he could do any damage. In another incident, right here at the Kracker house in Wasilla, the town that spawned VP candidate Sarah Palin, Slick went crazy in the back yard. Again, he launched an attack against Tryskuit. Again, Diamond leaped to her defense and tackled Bear Meach.

"I was so proud of Diamond," Tryskuit said. "I wasn't upset with Bear Meach. I don't hold it against him. It's just something that happens to him sometimes, when he smells strange cats."

Just before I took the above picture, I spotted Bear Meach headed towards the neighbor's yard. I followed, then stepped on his leash to stop him. Since my right arm is still in a sling, I squatted down, picked up the end of the leash in my left, and then gave it a little tug to draw Slick back deeper into our own yard.

This angered the feline Little Bear. His eyes bearing into mine, he came straight at me, hair once again on end. He showed his teeth, hissed, came faster, bared his teeth again and hissed. I tried to photograph the action, but this little point and shoot that I still must use until I gain back enough strength and coordination in my right arm to use my big Canon would not react quick enough.

I backpedaled, wondering if I would soon feel his claws and teeth in my flesh. Just before he reached me, Slick turned to the side. I shot the above image as he shot past.

I decided it best that I not tug on his leash ever again.

Slick was a good cat after that, and spent most of the rest of his time just basking in the sun. As for Diamond, she had picked out a solitary place deep in high grass and that is pretty much where she spent the whole afternoon, until just before dinnertime. 

Tryskuit then put the two cats back in her car and then prepared a dinner of dry cat food for them. I sat down in her car and then took this image of Diamond.

After the posed picture, Diamond then moved down to the bowl of food on the back seat. She growled as she ate, so that Slick would know he had better not touch this food.

Diamond looks up from the food bowl to glare and grow at Slick.

After finishing off the bowl of food in the back seat, Diamond then jumped to the front, and began working on the other. Here, she pauses, ear cocked in the direction of Slick, so that she can satisfy herself that Slick will not try to steal any of his own food that she eats for him.

Somehow, it always comes to this. We have a good visit but it seems terribly short. I want my daughter and her two cats to stay forever but they get into the car to drive back to Anchorage. Note the yellow leaves reflected in the window. We didn't have much of a summer here, and already it is over. 

This was one of the nicer days of it, but, since these three drove away, the weather has turned gray and cold, the way it sometimes does in Wasilla, Alaska, when August comes to an end.

Even before the sun and warmth went away, I began to work on this blog entry. Jimmy hopped onto the window sill of my office. As you can see, he buried his head in his paw and wept bitterly, so badly did he feel over the departure of Slick, Diamond and Tryskuit.

It's okay, Jimmy boy, Jim Slim Many Toes. Those three will be back.