Fuddland

A whole cat’s tail

Ick.

When I looked out onto the garden yesterday I saw a fair amount of white fur scattered around one part of the lawn, but just assumed there’s been a bit of a scrap during the night. I had a bit of a closer look but all I could see were the clumps of fur.

However, when I went out to have a bit of a lie in the Sun today, I noticed a disturbing mass of flies gathered on something near the hedge, and as they scattered upon my approach, I realised it was the source of the fur: a mutilated cat’s tail, from base to tip. I can only assume the poor moggy was a victim of one of the foxes that use the garden as a thoroughfare, although according to my old London borough, it is really quite rare for a fox to attack a cat. [A typo reassuringly brought up no hits for urban foxes "attack cars". Even with my limited motoring knowledge, I think I’d be able to predict the winner in that short-lived fight.]

Anyway, whilst the flies were dispersed, I disposed of the tail rather than enquiring at the neighbouring houses if their cat had appeared to be impersonating a Manx during the last couple of days. I’m sure, if it made it home at all, both they and the cat would be traumatised enough without being reunited with the unsalvageable remains of its tail.

Ick.

#1

felicity | 2005 / 07 / 17 – 23:11

ick, and indeed, gagging sounds made….

#2

highrise | 2005 / 07 / 17 – 23:26

A grim tail…er, tale…indeed

#3

clair | 2005 / 07 / 17 – 23:43

Cars vs Foxes? I’m sure someone somewhere would love to make a reality tv show about that.

#4

mrtn | 2005 / 07 / 18 – 18:27

(people with a propensity to gag shouldn’t really read this comment)

ooh, urban myth suggests, especially as this was at the weekend, that this was the result of drunken high-jinks involving swinging the cat by its tail, in order to launch said cat over the rooftops. only sometimes the cat doesn’t make it in, er, one piece…

sorry.

#5

David | 2005 / 07 / 19 – 10:54

Re #4: I really really really really really hope that’s not what happened!

Which reminds me, I’ve never understood that phrase, “Not enough room to swing a cat”, the implication being that the space in question is on the small side. But I’d have thought you’d need quite a sizeable room to swing a cat?

Wait a minute, researching…

Hmmm. One theory says that the cat in question is not of the moggy variety, but rather of the “o’nine tails” kind, and the saying is in reference to punishment at sea by a flailing with said device. The punishment always took place on deck, as in the confines below, there was not enough room to swing the cat o’nine tails.

However, the phrase was in use before sea-faring was common, and no one seems to be able to satisfactorily explain its true origin. Oh well.

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