Cats: Little Pocket Panthers and Companions

I've thought a bunch about cat behavior and it's my opinion that cat's bring us their dead (or not dead) catches to present us with trophies.  They do like to be praised and appreciated for their hunting endeavors.  Our neighbor's 6 toed tiger stripped cat (that adopted us and lived on our porch) would bring me and my daughter squirrels, birds, bunnies, until he realized we weren't eating them, then he stopped sharing and simply ate them himself on the porch.  (We soon took all the bird feeders down from the porch as it had become a kitty buffet for Tiggy Malone.)  He disappeared around the end of Nov.  I'm worried that coyotes may have gotten him, as they have eaten several other neighborhood cats over the past few years especially.

My 6 month old kitten, Pippin (short for Epiphany) is strictly a house-cat; she still has the hunting instinct in her, and we play fetch with great frequency with a little chirping bird toy that is her favorite.  She seems quite placated by this ritual and does not seem to be very interested in going outside (thank goodness!)  She follows me around like my little companion kitty, always interested in what I'm doing and meows pitifully at me if I'm in another room without her (the bathroom, the front porch).

My 5 year old cat, Abony, has chosen to be an outside cat, even though I'd never owned a cat that lived outside before.  Once she saw that Tiggy Malone was outside ("that's an option??" I heard her think), she'd have none of this house arrest that we'd safely ensconced her within and peed in our beds and on the couch to remind us that her intentions were very clear and she was resound in getting her way.  It worked, of course.  Maybe she'll have a shorter life than my indoor cats, but she's pleased as punch to have her freedom.  She comes in nearly every night, and certainly throughout the day as often as I am home and will let her go in and out.  She's the most beautiful and neurotic cat I've ever had...only neurotic because she clearly wants her way and will get in a hissy fit if she doesn't get it.  Sometimes I call her Piss Pot.  I do love her :)

And then there is BhadaBoo. She will be 17 years old in March.  She's my one white whisker soul-sister.  We have a very strong bond.  She's the cat that gets along with everyone- other cats, dogs, people.  She's cautious, loving, stoic, caring.  These are the last remaining weeks with her on God's green Earth; I can tell she's at the beginning of the end of her life.  I am glad to be with her during her transitioning period.  I put her heated bed beside me on my bed and we spend a lot of time together throughout the day as I write, work and correspond.  It's a good life.

I thank God for my cat companions.  They have chosen to be with me just as much as I have chosen to be with them.  They have truly been a blessing in my adult life.