I planted water lilies again, this year.
Even though the muskrats cleaned us out last year – including all cattails, and most phrags. Pretty much all the pond growth, eaten away at the roots. Leaving a huge mass of dead rotting vegetation behind.
I tried trapping them last year – to no avail. Got no muskrats. And they got all living plant matter in the pond.
This brings me to the cats …
No, not this one. That’s Boris – and he’s never ever gotten himself even damp from that pond, much less wet.
These two guys …
These guys, two of our outdoor cats that live on our back deck, more or less. Little Shot (AKA Big Shot) and Big Shot (AKA Little Shot), pretty much twins, Now Jerie …
and I have seen those two all wet from the pond.
And just a week or ago, we saw something quite surprising – one of those two cats walking out of the pond – dripping wet.
And 10 min later, while we were idly watching one of those cats stalking the edge of the pond – it leaped into the water in a high arc. We couldn’t tell what it was after, or if it did indeed catch its prey.
But – those two cats were hunting something in the water. And I doubt it was frogs –
because we always have frogs – and the cats have never shown much interest in those frogs.
So, I’m thinking the cats have finished off my muskrats for me.
Optimistic thinking to be sure, but hey – I never thought I’d see wet cats, or see cats calmly walking out of a pond – or see them leaping into a pond – so – maybe.
Also, none of my water lilies have been molested yet this year. And the phrags don’t seem to be disappearing – but they’re harder to track.
Loving those cats.