Vole Hunt

TBT:  I was glancing out the window and saw Ayla out on the lawn.  She doesn't do that much these days.  It's kind of strange, since she USED to go over the fence  routinely just 2 years ago.  And Marley used to go into the abandoned neighbor yard, but now that there are residents there he stays in the yard.  Iza never did leave the yard.

I'm glad, personally.  I feel better when they are all in the yard.

But back to Ayla.  I saw her 8' away from the meadow bed and she sudeenly went low and snuck up on it.  Then after a minute, she slipped into the bed.  I expected she was stalking a rabbit.  But after watching a few minutes, I didn't see anything happening and went about my business. 

2 minutes later, she was on the deck with a vole!  How could she detect a cautious vole from so far away?  But apparently, she did.  She's GOOD.  Marley and Iza wait in ambush near vole holes.  I have never seen them stalk so far so fast to get one, though!

She hadn't killed it though.  It was alive and fiesty, and she seemed a bit uncertain.  I watched her and then Marley also chasing it around on the deck.  After a while, I sensed they were about to let it get away (by it leaping off the deck and hiding). 

Now, you have to understand I really hate voles.  They ate the roots and killed of 9 of my 10 cucumbers this year for example and I don't want the ones they catch alive to escape. 

So when it looks like they are going to lose one, I step in.  Literally!  A fiesty vole might cause the Mews to play with it and let it escape in error, but *I* have the foot of death!  I stepped on it.  Hey, it's faster than the Mews would do...

But there are pictures.

Ayla dropped it on the door mat to examine it.

It ran...

Marley looked at it .  The vole is in the bottom left.

Well, they HAD just eaten before they went out...   After I stepped on it, it wasn't as interesting to them.

Iza checked it out...  

I should probably just let them play with it.

Iza looked at my accusingly for ruining their toy.  Sorry...Part of the problem is that they don't WANT me out on the deck when they have a vole to play with.

Ayla came over ta check it out...

And you know what is amazing?  As SOON as I went back inside, they all started playing with it again!  Tossing it up in the air and grabbing it as it came down.  Batting it around the deck.  Biting it. 

They REALLY don't want me involved with vole-playing...  I understand.  That is their most catlike life...