Carolyn Holm

Dear Mommy,

I overheard you tell your friend that you lived with a cat once who brought baby snakes into the house!!!!! That’s so exciting!!!!!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Yes indeed! That was Alice. She brought several baby garter snakes into the house one year. They were beautiful!

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Did you let her keep them to play with?

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Of course not! I released them in our garden.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

I want to go outside and find some baby snakes!!!!!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

I’m sorry sweetie. The outdoors is a very dangerous place for little cats. You’ll just have to play with your rubber snake.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

But you let Alice out!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

And we lost our Alice. It broke our hearts! She suddenly disappeared and we never knew what happened to her. She may have been hit by a car or caught by a coyote. Coyotes and cars are the main reasons I changed to a Strictly Indoor cat policy.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

But Poppy says coyotes are just dogs! I’m not afraid of a dog. Look at how nicely Poppy and I get along!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Honey, coyotes are not just dogs. And especially not a dog like our sweet Poppy. A coyote would pick you up for lunch in no time.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Are you telling me that Alice was EATEN???!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

I’m sad to say that is entirely possible.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

THAT IS HORRIFYING!!!!!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

It is horrifying. And that’s why I don’t want you and Puffin to roam outside.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

I could outrun a coyote. I’m really fast.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

I’m sorry honey, but you are no match for a coyote. You would be an easy lunch.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

I’ve been sitting in the window looking at the garden for hours now, and I haven’t seen a single coyote. Just two deer, three squirrels, and the chickadees at the bird feeder. I think you are making up this coyote story.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

There’s a lot of wildlife out there that we rarely see. Not only coyotes (though once I saw one loping down the street in broad daylight!) There are raccoons, foxes, skunks, possums, and who knows, probably a bobcat now and then. There are even mountain lions from time to time, though they rarely come down to our neighborhood. But just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Last night we smelled a skunk!!!!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

And yet you’ve never seen one. I rest my case.

Love, Carolyn

 

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