CUTE BANDIT

     Goldie is back! We were watching out for the signs that she is pregnant, so she did look a little plump to us. She came once in the afternoon and - again - about midnight. She found nothing in her bowl, so she looked at me with mild rebuke and started to fanatically wash herself. I didn't know that the bowl was empty, so I was watching her for awhile. When it finally dawned on me to check, I began to coo to her, to make up for my thoughtlessness. Sylvie didn't like it one bit. She raised a few objections in a techno-like yowl. Despite that, I went out to the porch to put food in Goldie's bowl. She also, for the first time since I met her, mewed,. ran a few steps and crouched nearby. We looked at her, as she was happily gulping down the food, her thin shoulder blades moving under the pretty fur. Soon she was done and gone. 
     We briefly saw a white cat slink to the dish and sample some nutritious pellets. I feel very sorry for her. Often, she'd look into our living room with such longing. You can tell that she used to be a house cat. Now she is very skinny and her fur is dirty, like she doesn't take care of herself. With the economic downturn of 2008, even animals felt the sting of sudden poverty. A lot of pets were left homeless because some Madoffs decided to play in high finance.
     Sonny and I talked for a bit. while we made lunch for the next day. I went back to the couch after that and Sonny - to his room. As I glanced at the door to the backyard, I froze. In the light of our motion activated lamp, right by the thin screen was a fat raccoon! His bandit face was arrogantly checking out Sylvie, who was the closest to the door. I expected Sylvie to at least screech and run away,  but she just coolly returned the raccoon's stare. The animal decided that it'd better choose the food that was there for the taking. His little fist grabbed some food out of Goldie's bowl and put it into the mouth. He began to  munch in a business-like manner, his muzzle and whiskers moving fast. He was keeping an eye out for the competition, though, constantly scanning the dark yard and a room in front of him. After he has finished, he picked off a few tidbits off his bushy fur and ambled away.