An Unexpected Morning Visitor

This morning I was awakened a little after 7:00 AM. Outside my bedroom window, I could make out something perched in the top of the big-leaf maple tree. Outside, on the back patio, I looked through the binoculars to see what our visitor was..an owl?..a turkey vulture?  No, it was a juvenile Bob-cat!

The poor thing didn't look too happy. I know that house-cats can climb up trees quite well but are terrible at getting down from them. I had to assume that the same was true for Bob-cats. I think that he had been stuck up there since last evening because my house-cat Tom came inside around 8:00 PM looking quite spooked and agitated. There was definitely something outside that he did not like. Now we are wondering if a larger Bob-cat or perhaps a coyote or cougar chased this poor little one up the tree last night.

After an hour or so we were beginning to ponder how we could help get this guy down. We were also wondering who the heck we would call to do that? Just then the Bob-cat started to move and very slowly and deliberately made his way back down the tree. A happy ending! Now, back to my regularly scheduled Saturday morning....