Izzy had a fit last night at about half past midnight. I heard her cry, so I got up and sorted her out. i went back to bed but kept waking up. I got up at 5am to make a cup of tea.
A bit later, I found what I assumed was a very tiny amount of watery chicken poo (although the poo was a bit odd) by the french windows. I was puzzled. I cleared it up, and went off to have my shower.
Later, I sat down at the computer to check the camera feeds to see if Izzy's fit was on camera. It was. Good. I noticed a lot of other activity in the middle of the night, so I started to watch the beginning of each recording, just in case it was another fit. I expected to see Wash coming in and out.
I did see Wash coming in. He had caught something ENORMOUS, so big he had to hold his head right up to keep it off the floor. Was it a rabbit? Or a giant rat? Or, what the heck was it??? The stupid cat let go and walked off. Whatever it was sat still for a split second, then bolted , pursued by a ginger cat.
The ensuing video clips showed the saga of Wash catching it, and carrying it from, say, the kitchen to the hall. Then it came running back into the kitchen (just a blur on the camera - was it a squirrel??) followed by the cat. Then it ran back into the hall, followed by the cat; then the cat had caught it and carried it back to the hall. There were then lots of videos of Wash looking for the lost prize. Then videos of me getting up to make tea.
DH was away. I emailed him one of the videos and asked him to confirm what it was. Meanwhile, I watched the other camera to see it from the other room. DH confirmed it was a rabbit, so I began to search the hall for it. I'd asked DH's advice on what to do if it was injured. I found bunny currants, but no bunny. I moved everything out from under the stairs, dreading finding an injured rabbit. No bunny (but I hoovered under there while I was at it). I was puzzled.
I pulled out the pull-outable things in the kitchen. No bunny. I went back to the camera, and started to watch all the subsequent videos, which I had assumed were triggered by my movements. I watched myself carrying washing, making tea... and then I saw the bunny rabbit run out of the hall into the kitchen, while I was in the utility room. Switch cameras, there it was. Then it ran back to the hall. But it wasn't in the hall, I'd emptied it. Where was it?
I watched video after video. Lots of videos of Wash looking for the rabbit. Videos of me making tea etc. It must have gone into the living room!? I pulled out everything in the living room. Every time I moved something, I expected to find an injured bunny in need of despatching. I really, really didn't want to find it.
No rabbit. Had it gone upstairs? Oh god. The floor in the bathroom is up. If it gets into the floorboards, I'll never find it.
And then I saw it on the video. Running across the kitchen (again) but the video jumped and the rabbit literally disappeared. Back to the other camera, could I see it entering the hall again? Yes! It even obligingly stopped at the threshold of the hall, obviously considering which way to run - straight back into the hall, left into the living room, or right into the utility area. #Then I saw myself looking for it, whilst on the phone to my husband, so it wasn't that long ago. Then it went back into the kitchen. It didn't cross the kitchen again. and by this time I had had the french doors open. I guessed it had gone outside.
I accessed the outside cameras. The door was open so it blocked my view - but I did see that Izzy was lazing in a trough by the back door...and then she ran. That must be it. I looked at the other garden cams, and eventually I saw it. A blur being chased by a while cat, round the pampas grass and back! Honestly, if I set it to Benny Hill music, it'd be almost hi-larious.
Izzy didn't catch it.
I'm pleased that the bunny bested the cats.
I'm pleased that the bunny bested the cats.
And i'm even more pleased it isn't in the house.
