Cat Tails: Threat level orange

LT had put the cats on high alert, and said that they’d remain there through at least Sunday evening. On Saturday Mommy had been stung by a bee and had to go to the human version of Tibet because she had a very bad reaction. They had given her a shot and lots of medicine to take, including shots she had to carry with her in case she was stung by a bee again.

Rudy saw the Mommy when she got home and found out what had happened. She immediately found LT and Peep and let them know, as she was worried about the bees they had in their yard. LT thought for a minute and formulated a quick threat response. Rudy and Peep would make up the security detail, and he would do reconnaissance for all types of flying pests.

Rudy’s job was tailor made for her. She was to sit near the back door or at least in view of the back door, and if Mommy came outside she was to escort her to her car or wherever in the yard she was going. While escorting her, she was to keep a sharp eye out for bees and wasps, and either neutralize them of alert the Mommy to their presence. Rudy liked that job. Her favorite spot was near the back door or between the house and the cars. She could keep an eye on the house, the cars and the frogs all at the same time. She’d never tried to catch a bee before, but she figured that even if she couldn’t catch it, she’d be able to alert Mommy to its presence and she could avoid it.

Peep’s job was to stick close to the Mommy in the house and ensure that bees didn’t get in to try to sting her. Last night she’d taken her job very seriously. The yarn lady had come over, and Peep spent most of the time on the couch with her and Mommy. Perhaps she hadn’t been as vigilant as she could have been, because they both had rubbed her tummy and head and put her to sleep. Peep thought that was okay, though, since the yarn lady was there to watch for flying pests.

LT was in charge of reconnaissance. He started by doing a thorough search of the yard for any bee or wasp nests. He wouldn’t be able to get rid of the nests, but at least he could make sure the Mommy stayed far away from them. He also thought he might be able to show the nests to Daddy, and he’d take care of them. The only nest he’d found so far was well in the woods. There was no reason the Mommy would go there, and he didn’t think the Daddy would even go there, so he just left that one alone. LT figured that whenever the Mommy was home on weekends Peep and Rudy would be on duty, and that the reconnaissance job would be in high gear on the weekend, but that he’d do at least a daily sweep for new nests when Mommy was in Mary Land.

On Sunday they had their first real trial of the system. Mommy was feeling a little better and wanted to go out. Peep ran out and alerted Rudy that Mommy was going out, so Rudy was ready and waiting when the door opened. As they walked to the door, Rudy spotted a bee hovering around some clover in the lawn. She sprinted over to the offending insect and attempted to catch it in her mouth. Subconsciously Rudy must have been worried about being stung herself, and she was too slow to catch the bee. It veered away towards the Mommy and Rudy had to run to put herself between herself and the bee. She jumped in the air to encourage the it to fly in the opposite direction and luckily it decided that the cat was just a nuisance not worth stinging. It flew back towards the house, which was fine by Rudy.

The Mommy got in her car, and Rudy heaved a sigh of relief. This was going to be a tough assignment, but Mommy was worth the trouble.