Knock, knock. Who's there?

The deer is not alone. Last night we were awakened by the loud hunting call of a coyote-- a long howl and three short barks, three times in a row, then a few small barks, possibly an answer from another coyote. It was very close to the house but avoided the motion detector lights. I knew all of our cats were inside the house, but I felt a stab of doubt just the same. Although it was dark, I looked out the window and checked the stairs and front hallway for the cats. They were not looking out the front windows as they usually do when there are animal visitors in the yard. Then I immediately thought of the little cat next door who lives on a screened porch. Could a coyote break in through a window screen?

With all the wildlife in our yard, the coyote would have rabbits, possum, raccoon, and deer to choose from without even beginning on pets. We have other predators too-- bobcat, fox, owls-- all these things are milling around in the woods and across the lawns at night. From the nibbled state of two of the roses, I can tell this morning that the deer has been visiting, because I didn't spray the organic untasty spray on them last week. She is vigilant, so I will have to be also.

After the coyote called, I lay wide awake for a long time. I didn't expect to be able to sleep after that, and I was safely comfortable in bed in a house; it was an instinctive reaction to the presence of a predator. However, I know I went back to sleep because at dawn I woke up to the sounds of a cat throwing up. I had to smile at the irony of the two disturbances.

This morning we played a recording of a coyote howling to confirm that that was the sound we heard. I had just set down the cats' breakfast and the smallest one, Daisy, bolted and could not be coaxed back to eating. Nicky ran too but he came back to his plate after a couple of minutes. Daisy is the one who was abandoned on a dirt road with her sister and nieces and nephews. She knew exactly what that sound was. I spoke to the neighbor and was relieved to hear that the little cat stays inside at night.

We let the cats outside later than usual and they did their rounds before lunchtime, well past the transition between night and day. Tonight is the night before school starts, so it would be nice if it is a night of good sleep and not one full of animal sounds like last night.