Life of a cat / Katzenleben

The draw

The spider was crunchy but not enough by a long shot. It provided distraction from lacking sustenance while it lasted. Now however it was time to decide where to get food from - which was not as easy a decision as one might think: Leaving the square at this time of day meant potentially loosing the territorial rights to the place to another feline. But staying and starving wouldn't keep it either.

Deciding on one of the backstreets the cat lifts itself from its perch and jumps down.

Just when it is halfway to the entrance of the street, the place fills with a mob of humans again, spilling out of every building and every crevice, rushing to and fro.

The cat had lost track of time recovering from the attack and hadn't noticed that it was this time of day again.

Hastily crouching down in some small greenery it peers out and towards the selected alleyway.

✼

It takes some time for the humans to clear away again, and some come quite close to the bushes in which the cat had to take refuge in in a hurry.

A pair of them even run into each other and unfortunately for them, one of them lets go of its snack. Not letting such an opportunity going to waste the cat dashes out and pilfers the roll before either of them stops arguing, evading being hit by their feet just so.

Both egg and ham were nourishing, the bun not so much. The cat ended up licking the spreading and nibbling on it a bit but only for a pastime until the square would be peaceful once again.

✼

Behind one of the loud places where the humans gather the cat finds overflowing dumpsters.
For the humans in this area their contents might be considered worthless, for the cat however it proves to be a salvation.

There are apple cores, bacon rinds and even a raw egg still in its container.
There is also a milk carton from which the cat licks the dregs.
Suddenly the cat perceives a heavenly smell: cooked fish.
It rummages around in the dumpster until locating the source of the smell, some paper trapping fish oil and some small morsels of the fish itself.

Once again it is focusing its whole being on one object, the rare treat, and once again it doesn't notice what happens around it.

Only when nothing is left to waste the cat is looking up, registering the threat.

The other cat is standing there, looking right into the eyes of the first one.
Holding the tabby's gaze.

Threateningly.

On top of the dumpster, the tabby is bristling it's fur, showing its readiness to defend what is belonging to it.

The cat in the allay mirrors this action - not backing down.

The tabby knows that loosing this territory means going without food for too long and fighting at least another cat as to obtain another hunting ground.
In a weakened state due to malnourishment the odds to take down another feral cat are not in its favour.
It can't loose this encounter.

Both sets of ears are flicking in every direction, analysing the proceedings in the alley and categorising them without so much as a twitch of a whisker.

The gaze is held by both adversaries, neither backing down nor advancing.

Then, suddenly, both cats turn tail and run away in opposite directions at the same moment, as if they had silently agreed on a draw.