Public Enemy Number One

Wanted: Gray housecat with beady, evil-looking eyes

Last seen in our front yard--the scene of the crime

FACTS:

An innocent robin couple found love and built a nest in our holly tree. Much to our elation, about a week later 3 beautiful blue eggs were discovered.

We loved these eggs. We checked them every morning before school and nearly every other time we got in the car. Having done our homework, we knew that they would take a couple of weeks to hatch and that their number one enemy was the common housecat. Thus our war chant was born:

"What do we do? Defend the eggs!

How do we do it? Scat the cat!"

Imagine our grief and surprise when, after having just checked on the eggs that morning, another quick look in the nest just before lunch revealed the following crime scene:

A grey, fuzzy stray cat (did I mention his beady eyes?) was seen perusing the premisis. I, of course, shooed him away, and held some small hope that perhaps this last egg was hatching rather than the leftovers of a feline snack.

As we had already planned a fun, robin-friendly craft for the afternoon, the kids and I made our robins and then went out to check on the now lone egg in the nest. This is what we found:

Warning--the image may be disturbing.

What followed were many tears and sobs and inner-cursings of housecats everywhere. The looks on the kids faces tell all.

You'd better watch your back, Mr. Cat. Next time you come around these parts, we'll be waiting.