Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

Last night, Luna came into my room making a weird clicking noise and walking sort of hunched over. Priss followed shortly after. Luna paused, looked at me and continued to make a clicking sound. Which, you gotta admit, is freaky for a cat to do.

Just as I was putting aside my laptop to check on her, Luna put her head to the floor and opened her mouth. Out popped a beetle. An Eyed Click Beetle to be precise (see the Will Cook picture to the left).

The beetle stayed still and silent. Luna scurried around the beetle, taunting it. Priss saunters over from her post at the door for a closer inspection of the beetle. Luna doesn't like this, she feels as if her prey is in jeopardy so she hunches over the beetle and glares at Priss. The beetle began clicking frantically.

Neither action bothered Priss. She simply reached out and swatted Luna. Luna swatted back. Priss then swatted ..more aggressively and Luna took a couple steps back.

Priss then sniffed and pawed at the beetle. It continued its clicking. While Priss was swatted a couple of times but was able to get the beetle in her mouth and away from Priss.

Luna took a couple steps away and turned around, thereby putting herself between Priss and the prized beetle. Priss then feigned disinterest in the beetle and went to investigate the food bowl. Or maybe she just smelled the food, either way she left the beetle to Luna and had a snack.

Luna pawed and nibbled at the beetle some more but when the clicking and twitching stopped, she left. Soon after Luna's departure, Priss finished up her snack and swaggered over to the unprotected beetle. She pawed it, sniffed it and deemed it unworthy of her attention and daintily walked away.

Poor little Eyed Click Beetle. Not only did it not survive kitty playtime but it was left to rot on my bedroom floor. It was good enough to play with but not good enough to eat.