Flat-back ears on cats are a dead giveaway that something ominous is out “there,” waiting for them. Do NOT venture outside at those times. At least, not without the trundy blisterbus...
Yes..
With that flat-back ears indication I prepared and ventured forth. The Wileys had been making a lot of yippie racket. I stepped outside, I heard one 'yip' from the direction that both our ears and the cat's gaze had previously indicated and then... silence. Not even any eyes glowing back at me in the flashlight beam. They seem to know that if a human appears with a flashlight in one hand and some other longish item in the other, they'd best execute a Monty Python 'run away...' thing.
It would seem that they know that the human needs that other longish thing in hand to be a threat because one evening last summer toward dusk a lone wiley (you know, advance party scout)same trotting down the driveway heading nominal North. I was outdoors and did not have time to go inside to retrieve anything of substance (or dredge the lake for remnants of the boating accident) so I started walking toward the critter sans anything that would injure or exterminate it. The quasi-canine trotted off about ten feet further, turned toward me and - walked a couple of steps back toward me. I decided that I'd best not approach any closer because I didn't even have my trusty machete with which to attempt a beheading.. (cue Highlander - there can be only one..)
Wonder if there is a local equivalent of the crazy cat lady around here that feeds the coyotes...