Saddened and confused

This morning I made a sad discovery as I was doing some light chores outside. And the worst part is I have no idea how I didn't see it before. There was a beautiful pale Siamese looking cat wedged between a large flower pot and the back of an old iron chair it sits on. At first I thought she was sleeping, though that would be a very odd place. As I approached, not even an ear twitched, so I reached and touched her. Rigor had already set in -- clearly dead. Of course I immediately start hyperventilating with all the possibilities. After posting on Next Door, the guardian was discovered so at least she knows and doesn't have to wonder. This happening on top of all the angst Ninja is currently putting us through has been taxing.

Ah yes, Ninja. We know that she is broody and we can't find her current nest with what must be a sizeable clutch of eggs by now. So what's the harm? First and foremost, broody hens won't leave the nest for hours and hours a day. Normally they are busy scratching for food and taking their dust baths and generally being perky the majority of the day. When they are broody they don't eat enough. They can lose as much as 25% of their body weight. That is not good in a laying hen. She doesn't know that those are not babies in the making and will never hatch. Only by finding the nest  and clearing it of eggs does it trigger, at least for a bit, her normal routine.

Of course, this is our third go-round with her determination to be broody, and this time we are truly stumped where she has set up shop. She could even have taken up residence in someone else's yard for all we know. She has been coming to eat for about 10 minutes a day, but that's not enough to sustain her health. So naturally I have to keep a constant eye out for her, worry she's not getting enough to eat, wishing I could get her to trust us, and so on and so on and so on.

Lest you think I've just gone batty over the chicken, think again. I'm constantly fuming when my favorite little squirrel doesn't show up at the door to personally take her walnut from my hand; I fret when my favorite dove couple don't grace my backyard; I spend 10 minutes searching for the two blue jay couples who should be swooping down for peanuts; and I count the crows and big pigeons to make sure none are missing from the group. I know, I know. Get a life!