Pawsing for a Moment -by Butch Catsidy
Well, it’s been a whirlwind so far, being a fugitive. After my scare at the border patrol inspection station, I have directed my staff to put as many miles as possible between me and the Federale Dog. They have done just that, and I am now 5 states away from being sniffed out by said canine federal agent. I’m feeling a little more comfortable and have even been able to take some self-care time, peacefully watching the spring snow in Idaho and trying to catch the droplets through the window, they are surprisingly elusive.
Since my beach time so much has happened. I was ready to throw in the towel on the whole fugitive lifestyle in Texas. I was hot and tired of my hidey hole under the bed. My staff had us parked at a private residence for a few days, being aided and abetted by a couple of unsuspecting accomplices. Their garage looked so inviting, I thought I would try it out and see if I could make it work as my permanent hideout. But in the end, I came back to the getaway vehicle, after all, my staff are dependent on me for direction. I just couldn’t let them down. Besides, I wouldn’t risk bringing the law down on the kindly people who were unknowingly hiding a criminal cat wanted for involuntary manclawter in Colorado. Even criminal cats have some scruples.
Since then, we have traversed North and find ourselves in Idaho today. My amanuensis and I are enjoying some rare R&R while my Secondary Human is enjoying a float trip on the Henry’s Fork River to fly fish. I am not sure how this process works, but I do enjoy hunting flies and eating fish, so I understand his excitement. He was very restless last night which made it difficult for me to sleep on his legs. I had to stay tucked in to bed late today to catch up on my rest. Managing humans is exhausting when they are keyed up about something.
In his absence I decided that my Primary Human and I should take some time to recount some details of our life on the run so far. First, we have been through 4 seasons in a few weeks which has really messed up my fur growth and shed pattern. We are currently back in late winter and all the furs I left at the beach in the pleasantly warm sea breeze are sorely missed now. I must say, life on the run does offer some spectacular scenery. We live in a beautiful country and it is a pleasure to take the time to experience and appreciate all the varied features of it.
Our time hiding out in the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska was very pleasant. There were so many species of birds to watch! I was a big fan of this hideout. Being there made me truly thankful that our nation recognizes the need for these kinds of areas and sets aside land for this purpose. Stewarding land and wildlife in this way allows us all a chance to pause and observe wildlife in their natural habitat and appreciate the beauty we are given every day if we only take a moment to notice it.
We ducked into Mount Rushmore for a few hours to wait out the law. My staff gets all googly eyed at this place. They were all gushy and mushy about ‘Merica when they returned to Our Ramblin Van from their pit stop. I admit that looking at the massive sculpture does inspire a great amount of awe. It’s hard to imagine looking at a mountainside and envisioning a work of art of that scale behind the stone slabs. I tip my cat to Gutzon Borglum, the only sculping we cats do is to resurface our human’s favorite furniture with our claws, not nearly as impressive as a mountain high work of art.
We holed up in Jackson, Wyoming next and took in the impressive peaks of Grand Teton National Park. Well, we were cruising along enjoying the spectacular scenery when suddenly we came to a stop where a whole bunch of people were peering through giant camera lenses. And what were they looking at? A GRIZZLY BEAR! And what was the bear doing? EATING ANOTHER ANIMAL! AND there was actual blood all over the white snow! I got faint after that and spent the rest of the day under the bed. My staff tried to get photos, sometimes humans are so morbid.
As I mentioned earlier, we are currently in Idaho, and it is a beautiful place. We had a snowy evening and a bright, sunny and cold morning. One thing about being on the run early in the season up North is that most of the campgrounds and many of the roads are still closed. Still, it is lovely in the snow and very uncrowded with cat cops, so it makes a good area for a fugitive cat. My Secondary Human has been busy filming a docuseries of my escape, I think Netkits is picking it up, but you can view it early here: OurRamblinVan - YouTube
Stealthily Yours,
Butch Catsidy
