The dirty rat....

If I or anyone else needed evidence that Charlie Coal is over his recent dose of illness it was provided by the aforementioned cat on Monday last. And it was a treat to behold.
our garden backs onto a railway line-not a major one-it runs to  Mid Wales from Birmingham so we on;y get small trains. On the the other side of the track (as it were!) is Highbury park which was the former estate of Neville Chamberlain. Anyhow...
...There I was on Monday sitting relaxing, reading my book, listening to some Lightin' Hopkins when II hear Charlie miaow. In he saunters with a live rat in clutched firmly between his jaws. The bloody rat was squeaking and wriggling its legs in an attempt to get away! Dear God!! Charlie looks up at me as if saying "here you are mate, this is by way of saying thanks for looking after me when I was sick..." I couldn't be cross at him. BUT...Kate would have a blue fit if she'd seen it. So very gently I said "thanks Chas', but no thanks " & I motioned that he take it outside & do what he would like to do with it.
He did fortunately...he dropped it, played with it & then half ate the dirty rat. After he had finished I shovelled up the remains of the poor vermin & flung it over the railway where it was no doubt finished off by the 1455 from Birmingham to Taly-Bont!
 Apparently, here in Birmingham we're told that we're never more than 15feet away from a rat/ (some look more human than others in my experience!). Evidential.....
On a serious note I read somewhere that when your cat brings you a mouse, bird or rat, its because he can't understand just why you don't hunt. What he's doing is saying "look this is all you gotta do, its dead easy....look!"

But be that as it may, it was so pleasing that Charlie is back to his old self.