Looking a cougar in the eye

I baby sat yesterday. It started out cold and got to be perfect temperture later on. Wyatt, who is pretty big for a South American cougar, usually comes running when I chirp for him. He was too lazy yesterday, warming himself up on a big wooden spool. So I went back to him, hunkered down and said hello. Wyatt is the kind of animal that if you come visiting and don't say hello to him, you feel like you have been rude.

Well, that warm weather had made him feel pretty darn good. After a few preliminary purrs and greetings, he rolled over so I could scratch his tummy. I couldn't reach it through the wire fence, so he rolled over and put his paws on the fence. One of his paws is bigger than both of my hands. I started tickling his paws, and he very happily batted at me very gently like an over grown kitten, which, basically, he is. Usually he does't go eye to eye with me, because he is too busy putting as much of his body as he can get pressed to the fence so I can rub him. But this time, he was in a mood to bond, he put his face to the fence so that we were literally nose to nose. I looked into those incredible golden eyes, and saw only intelligence and love. I wondered at being able to touch noses with an animal that great, and know he acknowledged me as one of his. It's an awesome and somewhat humbling feeling. All that purring power, letting me into his heart, wanting to communicate with me, wanting me to know he loves me. Any one who thinks animals can't communicate is just not paying attention. In moments like that, I love my life. I never get blasie about it, being part of this community of special creatures. A lot of my life was not good, but I wouldn't want to change a minute of it, so long as it lead there, to that second.

When he yawned, I could see the light making his fangs translucent, like finest ivory. Gold and ebony and ivory, he's a work of art I can never match. True, only God can make a tree, but a cougar can make you believe in God, because such perfection cannot be achieved in any man-made way.

I was baby sitting the little caracal kitten you see in the pictures in the expo shots below. He's turned gold now, and grown into a nice healthy, stocky kitten. He's going to go live with friends of mine, who already own his older sister. I'm thrilled, because I'm madly in love with this baby, and this way he stays in the family. Click on the pic if you want to see him bigger.



He's the sweetest little guy. A total tanker with his bottle, no having to coax this baby to eat! Then chin rubs, lots of purrs and wiggles. He was a bit challenging to get photos of.

And speaking of photos, I'm branching out into pet photography. A little more equipment, and I'm ready to go. Have camera, will travel, and specializing in exotic pets. Pythons to pot bellied pigs, bring 'em on! S suggested I add that to my business, since I've been doing so much of it anyway. Good idea, I keep saying I'm not a photographer, but it never works out that way. I won't do people, unless they have a pet escort, but I already have a gig for next year's Christmas card photos. And it's not like I don't have lots of models. Ironic, I've been a photographer's assistant and model so many times, and always resisted being a photographer pretty easily. All those dang f-stops. But now I can do it digitally, watch out! I always loved the developement part, but the chemicals made me sick. Life seems to be determined to make me do pet portraits for a living. Maybe I should listen, since I love working with animals so much.

I'm exhausted, time to edit some more pictures and head for bed.