Osa and the Frog

I wouldn’t swear to it one way or another, but I’m pretty sure that before last night Osa had never met a frog.  I say that knowing that Osa has always been an inside cat and also knowing that teeny tiny tree frogs do occasionally hitch rides into our house snuggled deep within the petals of flowers – usually dahlias, but camellias or rhododendrons will do.  But, since Gordon did not have flowers growing around his house, I doubt that any little hoppers ever got anywhere near his inner sanctum.  I think until last night Osa was probably a virgin hunter, at least with regard to tree frogs.

However, I’m here to report (like any proud mum) that Osa’s instincts kicked right in when she saw that little hopper in our library last night.  She stalked him (or her) in the best lioness fashion, ears forward, tail swishing, paw poised to pounce.  And I could swear that she had a big smile on her puss (so to speak.)  Each time the frog hopped, Osa crept forward.  Each time the frog stopped, Osa reached out and probed with her paw – gently with claws retracted.  A cat-and-mouse game gone amphibian.

Osa-the-Intrepid

As puffed up as I felt about Osa’s prowess, I felt sorry for the little green guy (or gal.)  Undoubtedly, it was one of the tiniest tree frogs yet to make an appearance inside our house – scarcely bigger than my littlest fingernail.  I felt I should rescue him (or her) but I also wanted to document Osa’s prowess by getting the hunt on film. So… I called for Nyel to come to the rescue.  Of course!

He captured the frog, gently put him (or her) outside while I took photos and blocked Osa’s progress to the door.  She was not a bit happy with either of us and had a lot to say afterwards about how shabbily she was treated. We gave her lots of praise and a few kitty treats and eventually she relented.  She keeps one eye on the front door though… just in case.  You can never tell with frogs.