CAMP FIRE KITTY

                                                           

Our big annual muzzleloader elk hunt was in full swing. Each day all the guys would pound the steep hills in search of elk. The weather threw every curve it could at us, mainly rain.
As the bedraggled, rain soaked hunter came off the mountains we would gather around a roaring fire each night. The fire is our common meeting place, and most importantly, a place to dry out the days hunting gear and clothing.
One evening as we sat around the fire we heard a meowing near one of the campers. We all shined our head lamps in that direction and picked up the glowing eyes of a small cat.
“That cat was here last year,” Jimmy commented. “Has rings on it’s tail like a raccoon."
 The cat seemed very shy. If we shined our lights in its direction it would simply vanish into the darkness outside our little light beams.
 We all tried to coax it into our little fire area but the cat would just hang in the darkness and meow.
 One night most of us had gone to bed except Jimmy and his son, T.J. They sat quietly talking in the darkness when the little kitty came right up to them. T.J. left his hand dangling near his chair and quietly coaxed the kitty to him. To his surprise, the little cat loved to be rubbed and petted.
The next night the little kitty once again made its appearance in the darkness under the trailer.
“Turn off your head lamps,” T.J. commented and just be quiet and see if the cat will come to us.
We did just that and here came the little gray kitty with the raccoon tail.
 Oh how it loved to be scratched around the ears and head. It would bump the bottom of our camp chairs if we got busy with conversation and failed to hang an hand near the ground.
When you petted the little kitty you could feel only tight muscle. That little mountain kitty was a survivor of tough times. It was soft fur covering rock hard muscles.
T.J. commented that he needed to get a cat for his wife and how loving this one was. He was thinking of trying to get it home to just spoil it and fatten it up.
The cat would never be around during the day. It showed up only in the dark of the night, right on schedule,  when the evening haze darkened into the black of night, the little kitty made her appearance.
 One night one of the guys tried to gently pick up the little kitty to place it on his lap to give it lots of love. That little kitty became a monster. Fangs out, claws ripping the little kitty was clearly saying, “pet me on the ground but don’t you dare try to pick me up.”
We all got a laugh at the episode but agreed the little mountain kitty was clearly at home around the camp ground, living in the hills all by herself, and no one was going to place the cat in a car for a peaceful drive home.
We are all hoping to see the little raccoon tail kitty next year as we sit around the fire.
We will do our best to fatten it up next year, just like we did this year with scraps of meat and fish.
Kudos to you, our little campfire kitty friend.