Across the street there is a white fluffy cat and his charcoal colored side kick. They both wander over to my porch from time to time. Once, they walked inside the house when I had all the windows and doors open while oil painting.

So I went to the neighbor today to let him know.

July 3, at 3:09 am I heard a peculiar sound and had a peculiar feeling. There was some odd thing afoot. I had just gotten into bed.

“Trouble makers. This seems to be their time of  day,” I thought. Before I could get dressed and check it out I fell into a deep sleep.

At an early hour I rose and checked the patio where I found the water bowl split in two, dry.

Nickle had recently begun his summer relocation. That means he slept in the sun, in the shade, and in the night outside.

The first night, I’d put out some food for him so he didn’t have to come in and I found the bowl upside down the next morning after I’d forgotten to retrieve it before bed.

Now I realize why it was overturned.

The same coyote that clumsily spilled it returned the next night and the cat had relocated from sleeping behind the heather to the porch.

A long legged high eared coyote showed up at 3:09am in search of more cat food and bounded onto the porch, awakening the cat. Nickle chased him into the yard and then the beast came back  and confronted him, with gestures more like a happy playmate than an intruder. But his intentions were not friendly, he was simply enjoying what he does and he was after an opening. Within seconds it came, and he had Nickle helpless in his jaws. Like a tunnel spider and he ran with his prey to the end of the yard and dropped him. The clip ended there.

The next morning there were no signs of trouble beyond the broken dish and the absence of the familiar cat. No blood or tufts of hair anywhere. No cat either.

I reviewed the security camera clip over and over and pieced together the assault. Fast as it was – the cat was subdued within seconds – the choreography was well rehearsed on the part of the intruder. The coyote knew what he was going to do and how.

How quickly things change in life! Rest in Peace my little friend.