The fat faced, fluffy calico kitten played near the pond, in the backyard of our summer lake cottage. She sprinted over several flagstones following a frog. I sat nearby on a concrete bench, half asleep after hearing, “whoo, whoo, whoo,” all night, irritating me by keeping me awake. I wished I could tell my neighbor what she could do with her neighbor, living somewhere in the top of her tall cottonwood tree.

I was hypnotized, watched the tail flip back and forth. My female feline gave birth to four this litter but adopted three more, abandoned by their mother. We felt that it might be a coyote that snatched the vanished mother cat, hunting at night to feed her young.

Over the years, several complete litters of kittens disappeared around the same age and size, without a trace of fur, bones or coyote footprints. I brainstormed every idea in my head, trying to figure out the mystery of the missing cats.

One day my neighbor Sharon and I discussed the issue of the nightly noise, keeping both of us awake. She mentioned that several other species of UFOs moved into our neighborhood besides the verbal, wise one who stayed up all night.

It seemed I wasn’t the only neighbor who complained about the missing cat problem. A woman who lives two houses down the street lost two of her cats. Another neighbor fed hers outdoors on the front porch and one night it never showed up.

A breeze broke the still, summer air and I watched the fish dive under a swatch of algae. A shadow covered a great deal of the patio and I sat helpless, as huge talons dived low and grabbed the calico kitten by the scruff of her neck. She screeched in fear, as she was lifted and transported high into the cottonwood tree.

With tears flooding my eyes, I ran into the house and grabbed my husband’s rifle, attached the scope and loaded it. I didn't consider if I would hit the kitten instead of my target. I tried my best to focus and steady my hand. The rifle kicked me in the shoulder and although it was a good one hundred feet away, I heard the crackling of branches as the predator fell crashing to the ground.

When I saw I hit my mark, I called the fire department to rescue the kitten. When they used their extension ladder, they discovered a huge nest packed with regurgetated bones and fur. The kitten lay in shock but alive, bearing only a few puncture wounds. I was relieved until I heard the fireman ask, “Did you know it’s illegal to kill an endangered species?”

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