Animal Zone - Ellen Fritz

                       The animals of Sunny Farm

                                      Attitudes

                                     Ellen Fritz

                                                                 

 

Shilling, the black and white tom cat, sat on the little wall of the back porch watching

the drive to the right and the back yard on the left.  He was waiting.  The people

should be back from the dog show at any time now and then he would have his meal.

 

He wondered what happened to the new tortoise-shell cat.

She was supposed to be able to leave the bedroom

today, after being locked up for a few days after arrival to ensure that

she would not run away. 

 

She was supposed to have appeared hours ago but she either

went to the front garden or she was too frightened to come out. 

 

Then he caught a movement in the far corner of the yard.

Forth strode a lovely proud cat.  She was keeping

every window sill and tree in sight incase a dog or any of the many

other things that threatened cats should appear.

 

"prrt," said Shilling in greeting and hopped down from the wall to meet his

new friend: "I thought you would never come. By the way, my name is shilling."

 

"pfsht" spat the cat and trans formed her tail into a toilet brush: "Keep back!

You are a male and male cats have only one thing on their minds."

 

"Don't worry, I had an operation so I am not interested in silly things like mating.

I want to make friends."  he said politely.

 

"Okay but turn your back and lift your tail so I can see whether you are talking

the truth." she ordered.

 

"pht! You are a vulgar female but if I have to do such a crude thing then you can

look up my rear end."  he said and turned.

 

"Shilling! Who's crude now?" admonished a white cat from a nearby tree.

"Okay, you are fine but who's that in the tree?"  asked the new cat.

 

"That is Whiskers.  He is a shy cat and will only come down when he knows that

you will not fight with him or laugh at him. 

Now what is your name?"

 

"My name is Patches.  Where can I get food?"

 

"Did they not give you food this morning?"

 

"Oh, yes I had tinned food but I need a rat or maybe the kaffers have meat in their

shacks."  she said.

 

"Patches!  You must never use that word again.  We are all equal in this country

now and we do not call one another names like that.  You can be sued for deformation

of character if you call the black people that."  said shilling.

 

"Well I was in my fourth life when I lived in this country and at that time the white

people used the term freely especially when they were angry with the staff.  Then

a dog killed me and I woke up in England where I lived on a horse farm.  There I

was the stable cat.  A car drove over me there and now I'm in my sixth life and back

here so you can not blame me for not knowing."  she defended.

 

"Well, its all right but just be careful."  he said.

 

"What is wrong with the white cat in the tree?" Patches asked in a whisper.

 

"He is deformed. His front legs are very short but his hind legs are normal

length so it looks as if he is walking down hill all the time.  Then he also has an

embarrassing problem.  He can not always control his poo and it drips out some times.

He is a rescue cat and our people clean him up all the time."  said Shilling.

 

"Shame, but they must be good people to keep such a cat."

 

"Yes, they are."

 

"Oh deary me.  Our new kitten has arrived and she is already proving that she is

a bitch!  I saw how she made you show her your back side."  said the beautiful white

long haired cat that had just walked out of the back door.

 

"Don't be disgusting Sasha.  I was showing her that I will not be able to mate with her.

Trust you to think about filthy remarks.  You are constantly calling for a tom cat

to mate you and become pregnant.  You had two litters in six months and you are nasty

to Patches who is spayed so stop being bitchy."  hissed Shilling. 

 

To call a cat the term for a female dog was the ultimate insult and Sasha, refined as she looked,

used it freely.         

 

"And please remember; the people who we live with are not

our owners, they are our caretakers."

 

"Do you always have to state the obvious?  Goodness Sasha you are truly a dumb blond."

said shilling.

 

"Dumb blond! dumb blond,"  barked Mia a yellow Labrador from the kitchen and hopped

over the bottom door. 

 

"Did you know that the humans say that the only intelegent

blond is a golden Labrador?"

 

Patches vaulted in to the nearest tree and swore with fright.

 

"don't worry, it is only Mia and she loves all animals and birds. 

She will never chase you."  shilling reassured Patches. 

 

Patches climbed down carefully as Mia wagged her tail in greeting.

 

Suddenly, there came the most deafening barking from the kennels in which the

bullterriers were kept.  A horse neighed shrilly and the sound of many galloping hooves

on hard ground could be heard. 

 

Without a word of discussion all the cats and Mia

ran at top speed down to the stable yard and past on to the grazing paddocks. 

 

A white bullterrier called Cindy  was chasing all the riding school ponies towards a wire

fence.

 

As a cat is the fastest animal over a short distance, Patches flew past Cindy and

confronted her but the dog could not stop in time and ran over the cat.  When

she stopped, she found Whiskers confronting her.

 

"Eat me up, stupid dog!"  he taunted the bitch but as she leaped forward, Whiskers, with

his extra strong hind legs to compensate for his short fore legs jumped and cleared

the dog, landing behind her.

 

Once again she could not stop in time and when she turned Whiskers was taunting

her by squatting on his hind legs ready to jump and shadow boxed with his little

front paws to annoy the dog. 

 

Once again Cindy charged and Whiskers repeated his

leap.

 

In the meantime, Mia headed the horses off so that they would not try and jump

the fence.

 

The bullterriers were barking madly as they cheered Cindy on and

made a din from over excitement. 

 

As Whiskers was on the point to jump over

Cindy again he realized that she now knew his game

She did not charge but was waiting for him to jump so that she could swing round

and grab him.

 

Patches realized what was going to happen and shouted to Whiskers: 

"keep eye contact so the bitch can get mesmerised.  I'm coming!" 

 

Then she turned to a big dun horse that was

standing near her.

 

"Jump on my back and I'll trample the dog.  Then, when I'm over you jump and finish

her eyes off."

 

Patches had often slept or sat on the horses backs in the stables where she lived

in her fifth life.  She gave one massive leap onto the broad back. 

 

Whiskers still had the dog's attention and the horse, Magic, with

Patches on his back, took off at a gallop,

straight for the dog's side.

 

Patches knew when to leap off.  When the horse's front hooves bowled the dog over

she leapt and landed ready for attack.

 

"Run Whiskers!  Run!" she shouted as she jumped to the side

just as Magic's hind hooves scooped up Cindy, sending her flying across the paddock. 

 

Just then the kennel hand arrived on the scene and quickly put a chain round

the dust covered dog's neck to  lead her back to the kennel while scolding her

in unmentionable language.

 

"Why did Magic not kill the dog:  it seems

as if she's only badly winded and in shock?"

Patches asked an elderly white mare, Kopido.

 

"A horse will never kill anything unless it's life or

the life of a mare or foal is threatened.  We are noble creatures

and we stand for peace and love."

 

"Oh, you horses ...,"  sighed Patches.

"I forgot.  On the horse farm in England

where I spent my fifth life, the horses  had the same attitude."