The pirate cat

Hunters are a part of life here inthe country, especially if you choose to live in an area which, for part of the year, is a registered and monitored hunting estate.

I would hate to be so presumptuous as to try to stop people doing what they have always done just because my suburban mentality finds it a little difficult to understand. The sight of men in camouflage gear, stalking around the woods with shotguns between the beginning of November and the end of January can be disconcerting, but their ready smiles and handsome companion dogs are reassuring signs of responsibility and a certain degree of humanity.

I have always tried to maintain this opinion.

But last week one of our cats, Melvin, disappeared. He isn't the sort of cat to go wandering, in fact he has spent the majority of his life applying for the position of 'house cat' - often found harmlessly chasing the sun patches in various places inside, rather than relentlessly and mercilessly chasing lizards like the others. His disappearance was, therefore, a bit of a mystery, especially as he is a big boy, unlikely to have succumbed to a fox or a pine-martin. The children and the grown-ups were, understandably, becoming more upset as each day passed.

Then, the other night, he reappeared after four long days away.  He seemed ok at first; just a little hungry, tired and glad to be home. But a closer inspection betrayed a problem around his eyes and we took him to the vets. Tests showed that he had been shot by a hunter, and the shotgun pellets had lodged around his face and into his side, but one had pierced the centre of his left eye and he will, almost certainly, lose that eye.

As with most animals he seems to be able to just get on with it despite all the serious medication he now has to take but I, on the other hand, find the whole thing very infuriating. To accept that grown men, desperate to kill something illegally before the hunting season starts, would be firing off shotguns at anything that moves in the woods, makes me very cross.

Our vain attempts at calling him the ''pirate cat' to the girls have fallen on sullen and deaf ears and the fact that he is probably lucky to be still alive is scant consolation. 

So, despite our efforts at a perpetual optimistic blog about our new life here in the Italian countryside, there are some things it is hard to be cheery about and poor old Melvin is resigned to his fate as the new house cat; big, bolshy and now blinkered, but bravely unbowed.

He may, one day, think he's got a good deal out of it all, but I don't think I'll be waving so enthusiastically at the hunters come November.

Comments

[Replica jerseys]

Antonina, Saint Anthony is the patron saint of lost things, and Melvin lost his eye, so you're not too far off the mark. Keep praying, I'm going back to the vets tomorrow!

[david holwett]

I know just how you feel on this subject. We live in Sardinia and have done for more than 6 years. Among our many friends here probably my closest friend is a very keen hunter. It is hard to keep quiet sometimes but we are from a different culture and you have to respect their traditions. However recently our lovely big ginger tom cat was on my wifes knee and she shouted me over to look at what she thought was a tick. It turned out to be a shotgun pellet just under the skin, we subsequently found another three. he must have been just on the end of the range of the shotgun so he got away with it. But when we think that someone has deliberately tried to kill our boloved cat it makes me fume! David & Gillian Bosa, Sardinia

[Skye]

Thanks so much for sharing your blog! You have become my new favorite read! I alway look forward to what will be here next! All of your life, even Melvin's courage, is inspiring to me. Hope this hunting season is uneventful. Actually I live in Indiana, and this same situation happens here every fall too. My neighbors sweet dog was shot with an arrow in the hip!

At some point you should gather all of this and publish it as a book!

[Rosaria]

When I was living in Greece one of my cats was peppered with shotgun pellets. Alas it was not an uncommon incident. The callousness with which some Greeks, perhaps more than I care to admit, treated domestic animals never ceased to distress me.

[italianlover]

Hi I really love your blog! I am Italian and I have a blog about Italy...can I link your blog on mine...I am a new blogger and you would be the first in my blogroll. Ciao saluti dall'Italia!!!!
http://invacanzainitalia.blogspot.com/

[joe@italyville]

I hope Melvin is doing better and you are well.

[Elda]

xxxxxxxxx I'm sorry....

[ali]

poor melvin and his little trio who never gave up on him, so glad he is back xxxxxxxxxx

[ali]

hope poor melvin gets better soon, we have the same problem in france with the hunt, especially if theyve had L'apero.............. XXXXXXX

[gillian ageros]

That's a difficult one! I spend three weeks in Tuscany every year myself - but always in August, never in the hunting season. It has always seemed to me that our Italian neighbours keep a lot of cats, and are very fond of them - perhaps there's some fail-safe way of keeping pets safe during the hunting season, and your own neighbours could put you wise to it? It just doesn't seem to be in the Italian character wifully to shoot at domestic cats!

I have a special interest in your blog, by the way - as, not only am I a passionate Italophile, but also a Kingstonian. I probably used to see you at the Fern Hill school gates in fact, as your daughter was at one time a classmate of my grand-daughter, Marina McCready...

I was alerted to your blog by another Kingstonian, Barbara Firkle (think that's the right surname); and being hopelessly addicted to all things Italian, shall now become a regular follower of your adventures.

We holiday in a villa in the Lucchese hills - but my brother is currently looking into buying a restoration property of his own, in the little hill-town of Ghivizzano, near Bagni di Lucca.... so we are especially interested in reading about your experiences.

All good wishes to you in what looks like a magnificent adventure!

[Lorenza]

Oh povero Melvin! I'm always scared by idiots, Julian, not by hunters. The idiots are those who make stupid things!(I hate hunting as well...) I will be kissing poor Melvin ASAP!

[Fern Driscoll]

I am so sorry you've all had this horrid experience - poor kitty! - and I'm surprised. Our experience with hunters around here has been generally ok. If it's any consolation (and why would it be) we live with a blind cat, and he does pretty well, considering. I hope there will be no complications and his recovery will be swift...

[julian]

Antonina, Saint Anthony is the patron saint of lost things, and Melvin lost his eye, so you're not too far off the mark. Keep praying, I'm going back to the vets tomorrow!
Thanks all.

[Antonina]

I just realized that's its saint Francis ,not saint Anthony who is patron saint for animals, not to worry
I will pray to both.

[Antonina]

My heart breaks for you all, I am sickened that some bozo with a gun with obliviously merde for brains would shoot at your lovely Melvin. An intelligent hunter would not shoot unless his prey is visible, only an idiot would so the other.
I shall send a prayer to Saint Anthony that Melvin's recovery goes well. Karma will find that bozo who did this!

[casalba]

I'm sorry too. We also have hunters around here. When I walk our dogs during hunting season, I put a coloured scarf around their necks. (Otherwise, I'm not into dressing animals and all that jazz.) You can't do that with a cat, I know. Good on stoic Melvin. Hope he does well.

[Judith in Umbria]

I am terribly sorry. Don't be so sure it was unintended. Many hunters think cats kill baby game birds... but it is really, really illegal.

[rolf erik nikula]

As a happy "master" to two lovely cats I can feel Your anger. Hope I will meet Melvin in may .
Sincerely Rolf

[erin :: the olive notes]

WHAT?!?! This is crazy. Poor Melvin. It is infuriating...

(but although the subject of this post was very sad, I did enjoy reading how 'english-y' the anger was written!)

miss you all!