Biting off more than...

Tom has his own blog now, but is still unable to sit at the computer long enough to share his latest parable, so I'm doing the honors.

'I had a friend with some of the silliest cats you ever saw. They were well-fed, never looked like they had been much harmed by anyone, but they were fearful, greedy, and would turn mean fast..especially if there were any good foods around that could be stolen.

One afternoon my friend and his father returned from an excellent day of fishing and crabbing, and set all the buckets and crates of (mostly live) seafood on the porch while they got set up to process their catch.

First the neighbor's dog took to nosing up to the containers. He was called away over and over but kept trying to catch something anyway. Finally someone got annoyed enough to flip a live crab at him (to encourage his departure). The crab landed on his rump, and took a good hard grip and.... yyyyyyyyyeeeeeooooooowwwwww!!!!!!! The pup howled, hopped, and skipped about in circles trying to shake his dinner. When that didnt do it he finally yelped his way over to one of the people to get help, and thereafter, took off running

Meantime one of the parent cats (all their cats were related) had captured a live mullet and was attempting to eat it whole. The problem was that the fish was way too big for one meal, and was still alive! If anyone, or any other creature got anywhere close the cat would growl, hiss, and choke itself on the fighting fish. They thought it was going to choke to death for sure.

Seeing this cat with a huge fish hanging out of its mouth encouraged the others to try for something just as good, or better.

One cat mewed, got a bait fish, and went away happy.

One pawed surreptiously into one of the buckets and caught a fish hook.

The last one went for the biggest thing moving in the crates

It caught, or rather was caught by, a rather substantial blue crab who definitely liked the idea of eating cat for dinner. That also made for some interesting noises! Mr Crab wasn't the least intimidated by all the hisses, yowls, and clawings that had served Ms. Kitty so well in the past. Catching the dancing dervish pair proved no easy feat, and Ms Kitty was rather bruised by the time she was rescued.


Eventually we were able to help the ambitious felines. The one with the hook needed to go to the vet. One didnt eat anything much for nearly a day because it couldn't eat the fish in its mouth and wouldn't drop it until its prize was thoroughly rotten

Only one cat had a good day. The one that was happy with the little bait fish.

Its best not to be like the greedy kitties... or that thieving dog.'