There I was in the kitchen, mindin' my own business and thinkin' about what I might like for a snack, when I heard a loud thud in the family room. Thinkin' it was Andy jumpin' down from somewhere or somethin', I figured if I was gonna get my snack, I had better get it quick, before Andy appeared and tried to steal it away from me. I was just about to chow down on a tempting treat when..."Crash cart. STAT. Fluids. STAT. Nip. STAT!"
Hearin' my sister Mason's voice, I ignored my tempting treat and ran into the family room. I jumped up onto the kitty condo and leaned forward so that I could see out the window. There she was, down on the ground, outside. "Mason, are you in need of some nip?"
"Get the peep!" Mason answered back. "And do it, STAT!"
Well this kitty has seen enough medical dramas on television to know that stat stands for... Stands for... Okay, so I don't know what it actually stands for but I know it means, stat. I mean, quick. Or somethin' like that. MOUSES!
"PEEEE-PERRRS! MASON HAS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY OUTSIDE. STAT!"
Then the peep and I raced outside to see what was the matter.
"Paper towels, STAT. Shoe box. STAT. Nip. STAT!" Mason cried.
I looked up at the peep. "And she's in dire need of some nip. STAT!"
Blatantly ignorin' Mason's request of the nip, the peep ran over to her side and there, by Mason's paws, was a little birdie. A goldfinch, I do believe.
"The bird is need of some nip?" I asked Mason.
"Don't be silly Sivvers," and Mason rolled her eyes, just as I might roll my eyes in response to one of Anderson's remarks. "The nip is for me. Birds don't use nip."
"Oh yeah," and I pawed at the ground by my feet.
The peep raced back indoors and moments later, she reappeared with paper towels. Very gently, she lifted up the little birdie. Cradling him in her hands, she took him indoors, in search of a mobile recovery unit. In other words, a shoe box. MOUSES!
"Mason," I hissed. "You're not supposed to chase the birdies. You are so gonna be in trouble now."
"OUCH!" and I rubbed my cheek where Mason smacky-pawed me with a paw. "What did you do that for?"
"I didn't chase that birdie," Mason scowled. "I SAVED him. He hit the family room window and knocked himself out. Must have been texting while flying or something foolish and stupid like that.""So THAT'S the thump I heard. And there I was, thinkin' it was Andy. You know, Andy jumpin' down from somewhere or somethin'. You know, with a thud."
"A reasonable deduction," Mason nodded.
"But Mason, how did you know it was a birdie?" I asked.
"Because I was having a little wash behind my ears when I heard a thud, and then the next thing I knew, there was a bird lying unconscious by my paws. I put two and two together and got..."
"Five?" Anderson asked as he sauntered down the path toward us.
"I thought Andy was going back to school," Mason hissed to me under her breath.
"They don't teach math in Kitty Lit. 101," I answered back. "No Andy, two plus two equals four," I explained.
"Four? Still? Oh. Anyway, I heard there was a bird..." and Anderson looked about.
"Yup, Mason here saved a bird's life, and the peep took him inside where he could recuperate."
"Speaking of which," and Mason headed toward the back door, "I'm going to see if Peep #1 requires my assistance. And to find out why my request for nip has not yet been fulfilled. I did say STAT, did I not?"
"Yup, that you did." I turned back to Andy and found him studying his paws. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Tryin' to figure out how two plus two equals four. I have two front paws and two back paws but when I count 'em all up, I get... One, two, three, four, five. FIVE! How come I keep counting five?"
"Because..." and I took a deep, calming breath. "Because when you're countin', you're including your tail. MOUSES!"
"Oh yeah. Hahahaha... Go figure." And with that, Anderson turned and followed Mason back into the house.
I sat back on my haunches and had a little think. My sister, Mason, had saved a bird's life. Because of Mason's quick thinking, Peep #1 was able to come to the bird's aid and take him to safety, allowing him to recuperate.
Of course, had the birdie not hit the window in the first place...
Had the birdie not hit the window in the first place, the birdie's life would never have been at risk.
MOUSES!
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Did you know that millions of birdies die from window collisions every year? Accordin' to the Washington Post, as many as 988 MILLION birds die from hittin' windows, annually.* And that's in the United States, alone. MOUSES!And did you also know that there are ways to help prevent birdies from hittin' your windows? It's true! The Humane Society of the United States has some great tips on how to make your windows bird-safe,* by usin' decals or tape or even hangin' some wind chimes and the like. And, if a birdie does happen to hit a window - 'cause no matter how careful we are, accidents do happen - they tell you what to do to save that birdie's life.
REMEMBER, my sister Mason may have saved this birdie's life, but she can't be everywhere, savin' every birdie's life. Peeps need to do their part, too. STAT!
* Stop Blaming Cats: As many as 988 million birds die annually in window collisions.
by Susan Milius and Science News, Washington Post
** Make Your Windows Bird-Safe, The Humane Society of the United States
