I was awakened by a bump in the night. I made a circuit inside the house, the sound gone now, had I dreamed it? The only clue was the screened-in porch light was on (motion-activated) but Maggie the cat was sound asleep curled up on her swing cushion.
I went back to bed only to hear it again, this time more insistent. I followed the sound to the kitchen door looking out onto the screen porch. The swing was swaying but empty, Maggie had fled out one of the two cat doors. But the bumping was getting louder and more urgent. It seemed to come from outside the porch, on the stairs? I had images of Maggie versus wild animal but I was too scared to open the door. It stopped and I finally slept again, dreading what I would find in the morning light.
First thing this morning I entered the porch - the cat water was clean indicating no raccoons had used it for nightly hand washing. Everything looked intact. Went out the door to the steps, all is ok, wait, what is this - chunks of wood, big splinters torn off of something - the door is okay, what the… oh, the cat door has been attacked big time.
The 'coons and 'possums know how to use the cat door and fit through there just fine. The bears just walk right through the screen like it isn't there. So I am thinking coyote, we hear them at night howling on the mountain ridges, have heard tales of cats going missing.
About that time Maggie pads up, looking at me like, "Woman, where's breakfast?"
