Pierre, keeping the world safe from lizards and mailmen.
Yes, I know, this feature was originally the Friday cat blogging alternative, but I spent a week in Louisiana with my daughter's cat and a scarcity of cows, so Friday Cat Blogging it is. Besides, Pierre is such a swell cat she deserves her own Friday blog post.
You read that right, I said "she"—Pierre had some sexual identity issues early on. Upon discovering the stray kitten she adopted was indeed a she, my daughter chose not to change her name. It suits her; "Pierre" sounds feminine anyway (apologies to you French readers who may be named Pierre).
I never spent much time with cats, so I was fascinated by Pierre's predator instincts. She's an inside cat, so she hunts bugs, which are prevalent in Louisiana. Most of them were diving against the screen at night, but that didn't stop her from slaughtering them with her sharp green gaze.
And in the morning when I got up, I found her keeping a watchful eye out for waterbugs. Somebody has to do it, and I'm glad it's her instead of Orkin. This is probably the number one reason I could never live in the South, the giant roaches and the pesticides necessary to kill them.
Pierre's a tiny cat, smaller than most full grown cats. One morning she dashed out of the house when I opened the door, but after hearing some dogs bark, she gave up her quest for a walk on the wild side. Smart cat. Even I'm afraid of the dogs in the neighborhood, who run loose, sadly, and are un-neutered. And that's the number two reason I won't live in the South, the deplorable way so many people treat their pets.
But not Pierre—she's a pampered kitty who has a great life with my daughter and her grandparents. She amuses herself by torturing toy mice and bugs, and sits in the window watching for the mailman to deliver postcards from abroad. I wish every cat could have such a life.
