To Tease A Mockingbird

Yesterday we had a visitor. A mockingbird came to our back patio/lanai/porch to greet us with a most ear piercing mockingbird-like squawk. I have fondly named him Screech. And, like the character on Saved By The Bell, he was very annoying.

Our cat Maggie is an inside cat. We had her de-clawed when our daughter was a toddler- no claws whatsoever. Before you call PETA or the ASPCA on me, know that Maggie stays inside all of the time. The moments she sticks her fat, fluffy body out the door, she quickly sniffs something, turns up her nose, and runs back into the air conditioning. And, I just couldn't see leaving her back claws. I mean, unless she decided to go full Matrix and use some kind of kangaroo kick, the back claws weren't going to help her all that much.

Back to the mockingbird.

The bird was sitting on our patio furniture squawking his little birdie heart out. Maggie was sitting at the patio door. I am not sure which came first- the cat or the bird. I don't know if Maggie was sitting at the door and the bird saw her and decided to tease her. Or if the bird came to the patio first and Maggie ran to the door. But, the exchange of attitude between the two of them was comical.

Now, I don't exactly speak Mockingbird or Cat, but this is pretty much what I interpreted...

Mockingbird- "NA NA NA NA NAAAAA! You can't get me!"
Cat- "Shut up, bird. Don't make me come out there!"
Mockingbird- "I double dog dare you!"
Cat- "Oh now you had to go and use the d-word! You've made me mad!"
Mockingbird- "What are you gonna do? Get your owner to open the door for you, huhhhh?"
Cat- "Yes, I will. All I have to do is sit here and scratch my paws on the door until it gives her a migraine."
Mockingbird- "How can you scratch on the door? You don't even have claws!"
Cat- "I don't need any. I will just flatten you with my massive size."
Mockingbird- "Bring it on."
Cat- "Yawn... This is boring. I think I'll climb in the chair and take a nap."
Mockingbird- "Hey! Where did you go???? Come back!!! My friends put me up to this!!! They are going to make fun of me when I get back!!! I am soooo going to get it."

That was pretty much it. Screech hopped and squawked and Maggie just slept and slept. She was having none of it.

This mockingbird story inspires another post about my Granny... You'll have to check back tomorrow for that one. ;>)))