I have written many short stories about my cats. The latest was about my 4-year old tabby tom Bucky, who likes coffee, responds when I say the word 'coffee,' and meows for it. This cat is my little guard cat. He sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed at night. One day when he heard the garbage truck about 350 feet from our house, he growled. I told him, 'It's okay, Bucky. It's not coming up here. Good cat, Bucky.'
The other day as we took a morning walk, we stopped to rest in the shade where we could feel the breeze. Bucky weighs 15 pounds and pants in the summer if he is too active. Hence, the rest time. As we rested, suddenly a deer snorted. We have numerous deer so it is common to hear a deer snort, especially if it has a fawn nearby. As it happens, we have seen a fawn on the east side of our farm, and the snorting this morning came from that area. Bucky did not hesitate. He growled and jumped between me and the deer!
I know dogs are great at guarding, and I know some people underestimate cat abilities. But my cat Bucky placed himself between me and the doe with her fawn, immediately protecting me as he did so, and growled a warning. I felt humbled.
DISCUSSION: Do you have pets? What do you notice about them that seems unusual? Do you have friends who would protect you if harm to you was suspected? What would you do to protect someone?