michel's Blog

The Owl

I was awakened this morning, a little before 6am, by a frightening commotion right next to me in bed. I jumped out of bed and turned on the light. What I saw was amazing. My cat Meenow with an Owl in her mouth! The Owl escaped her grasp and started flying around the room. It then perched itself on the door frame, where I was able to catch it with a towel. I realeased it and it flew away, seemingly unharmed. I took some photos with my phone.

Comments (31)

DRomeo wrote on Mar 06, 01:22 PM

Wow!!! This has got to be one of the coolest thing that happened on the planet today!!!!

kiakam wrote on Mar 06, 01:51 PM

Wow, this is amazing!

There are a lot of superstitions and myths associated with owls. Do you believe in any of them?

The_Esquire wrote on Mar 06, 03:25 PM

He probably stopped by to see how your kitchen was all tricked out... That is too cool!

michel wrote on Mar 06, 04:15 PM

What are these myths and superstitions, Kiakam?

kiakam wrote on Mar 06, 04:44 PM

In Native American culture an owl is an omen and represets death. They are considered as some sort of harbingers of misfortune. In some other cultures, however, owls are associated with wisdom and prosperity.

Nonetheless these are superstitions. I think Owls are beautiful creatures :)

michel wrote on Mar 06, 04:49 PM

I prefer wisdom and prosperity =)

virginie wrote on Mar 06, 08:46 PM

Yes yes...why don't we go with wisdom and prosperity. Lets not put negative thoughts in mike's little head now!

michel wrote on Mar 11, 02:46 PM

I just got a reply from Joy Gold from the Department of vertebrate Zoology at the National Museum of Natural History. Here is her message:

You were very lucky to take a picture of the owl in question. It is a Screech owl, Otus asio, the smallest owl with ear tufts and the most nocturnal of all the North American owls.

DRomeo wrote on Mar 11, 03:26 PM

Mike, this is now officially the coolest thing that happened on the planet last week...

michel wrote on Mar 11, 03:35 PM

Haha, yes, it might be.

kiakam wrote on Mar 12, 01:44 AM

I think you should name the owl and make him part of the Nuzizo family

michel wrote on May 21, 12:55 AM

I saw the owl again today. He lives in the huge tree in my back yard. That tree is old, and full of holes. it is home to many animals, and apparently, the Owl. I'm calling it TootyHooty.

michel wrote on May 21, 12:07 PM

I got a pic of it, in his hole in the tree:

kiakam wrote on May 22, 01:36 PM

Welcome TootyHooty

RedSeaDancer wrote on May 24, 10:09 PM

Poor little TootyHooty....how'd your cat get a hold of that?

You should put a little bell on Meenow's collar , so he isn't able to get close enough to actually pounce without the bird knowing.

What a crazy, but definitely amazing thing to happen! Thanks for sharing!

michel wrote on May 29, 01:58 PM

So there's now a family, yes a FAMILY of owl living in my back yard. My neighbor (Lyn Hardy http://www.lynhardyphoto.com/) is a professional nature photographer and took these awesome pics:

The babies

Mom and dad (not sure which is which)

kiakam wrote on May 29, 02:23 PM

These are beautiful pictures. The baby owls are so cute!

DRomeo wrote on May 29, 04:42 PM

The story just keeps on getting better :)

RedSeaDancer wrote on May 29, 07:21 PM

Awesome! These pics are great! Do you know what kind of owls' they are?

SoulfulEyz wrote on May 30, 12:51 AM

OHH...this is such a touching story! Who needs television when you have a live show going on?! Tooty Hooty and his family have got to be one of the cutest families I have ever met! This is such an awesome blog! Definitely a huge favorite of mine! A feel good blog!!

michel wrote on May 30, 11:36 AM

I'm glad you guys are enjoying this as much as I am!

These are Screech owls, Otus asio, the smallest owls with ear tufts and the most nocturnal of all the North American owls.

I just hope they don't come back with a vengeance and eat my cat!

michel wrote on Jun 02, 01:00 PM

The neighborhood is all abuzz about the owl family. Neighbors come from many houses downstream and upstream to see them. I walk out onto my deck and see people with cameras or binoculars right outside my fence, looking up into the trees. The story takes a sinister turn at this point, however.

My neighbor Herb, in the house behind mine tells me Saturday morning that one of the baby owls is missing. He hasn't been seen. He says he saw my cat chewing on something earlier, so we go to the spot, but find nothing. A little later that day, I go down into my basement to get something, and lo and behold, there is the baby owl, in a pool of blood... dead and massacred. Meenow had no pity for the fool this time.

I had to tell the neighbors. Everybody was sad. I put a bell collar on Meenow, so she can no longer sneek up on unsuspecting prey. She runs around now, tingling like a conspicuous fairy. Gone are the days of the huntress cat, for better or for worst.

RedSeaDancer wrote on Jun 02, 02:25 PM

ohhhh! how sad! Well, time for the owl parents to get busy again! Anyhow at least Meenow can't sneak up on them. I had to do that to my girl cat a couple years ago. She HATES it, but the birds thank me!

DRomeo wrote on Jun 03, 12:59 PM

The saga continues!

How about some video! :)

kiakam wrote on Jun 05, 11:30 PM

do you look at your cat differently now? have your feelings for him or her changed?

SoulfulEyz wrote on Jun 07, 11:40 PM

OHHHH...poor little baby owl! Meenow was bad but hopefully he learnt from this...who wants to be tingling everywhere?!

RedSeaDancer wrote on Jun 09, 09:57 PM

So my story isn't nearly as good as yours, but.......

I have this cat, his name is "Boy Cat" we call him Boy for short. Anyhow, I usually let him outside to get some fresh air and munch on a little grass. After about 5-10 minutes he ALWAYS wants back in (he's a big chicken butt cat). So, I was seriously traumatized when I saw my gentle, innocent, sensitive cat (who normally wouldn't hurt a fly) with a BABY bird in his mouth today! For the first time in his life, he was a REAL cat!

My son now calls him the "predator!!!!" I had to literally chase Boy around the outside of my house and when I finally got to him, he was eating the poor birds guts out! YUCK!

So, I made him stop and cleaned up the bloody mess! I would totally expect this from Girl Cat. Yes, that is my girl cat's name, Girl for short, but not my sweet baby! Argh!! I am so ICKED out by him. Oh, well at least he finally became a REAL CAT today. I'll have to mark that on my calendar and get him a bell for his collar.

michel wrote on Jun 11, 07:29 PM

Oh man... you get presents from your cat too!

You know what they say. "A cat is a cat is a cat". Unless it's got a bell, and then it's just a cat.

Nairobbery101 wrote on Jul 08, 07:14 PM

You really shouldn't attach yourself to those owls. I happen to come from a still supersticious African community. If you could just sit and listen to my grandma's tales on such beliefs plus the countless examples of real life they give, I wouldn't risk these communities being right. But hey, that's just me :)

valarien wrote on Jul 10, 09:00 PM

I know I am SOOOOO late getting in on this chain, but I have to tell you that I think it is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! What's happening with all of the wildlife in your world these days, Michael? I do think it's sad about the baby owl, but I also think that it's evidence of life proceeding as it should. Meenow simply followed his instincts, as sad as the moment turned out to be.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Have an AWESOME week!

CrazdBarbie wrote on Jul 26, 09:22 AM

You are a very lucky guy,I am so glad that the owl caught by the cat is doing fine!~
Those Owls are so special,the professional shots are great but the ones you took in your room are so cool too see,.
We had an owl a few years ago,he was big and beautiful.
The Hurricane Ivan came and took down the big tree he would prech in.
I felt so special cause he was in my tree.
Ive seen none since and it is sad.
Have a great day and thanks for sharing.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 06, 11:19 AM . It has been viewed 399 times and received 31 comments. 3 members have it in their favorites

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michel's Blog

The Owl

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