Paradise Lost

Everything has changed. All in the blink of an eye. We've had 4 sightings of a coyote in the neighborhood, twice in our backyard. Tom and I have had to make decisions. Both of our cats spend time outdoors, Spooky lives outside, he was feral when he showed up and Boo has been in and out for as long as we have had her. She is miserable. By trying to save her life I have taken her life away from her by keeping her inside. I'm miserable too. I have had to keep other cats inside for various reasons, moving to an apartment mainly, and never was bothered by it. For some reason this one is breaking my heart. I look outside and it all looks different. What was once a bucolic scene, a quiet but lively neighborhood with the sounds of birds, kids and dogs, is now a place for the hunter. I'm not worried about myself but the animals that I am a guardian too. We are hoping for the best for Spooky. He would never be able to live inside and having been feral and outside his entire life we hope he's got the sense and the senses to stay safe. Boo is the one we worry about. She's 100% sweet as sugar and to not have her come home one night would set my mind into a tailspin. The images that would come to me would be unbearable. I've been doing a lot of crying and trying to adjust to this new version of life. Seems silly doesn't it when there are people in the Gulf of Mexico who have lost everything and animals are dying daily. I suppose it's what's happening in your own little world that makes the greatest impact. A new neighbor brought chickens with them and there is now one left. Maybe when the chickens are all gone the coyote will leave and life will go back to the way it was. Or maybe I'm just fooling myself.