He's about half the weight of an average housecat. Thin-boned and
lean, he resembles a cheetah when he walks and when he hunts. Vinnie's
wisdom and cunning more than compensate for his light frame. He is
always the peacemaker and disciplinarian among our clowder of six
diverse cats. When rodents move into the neighborhood he, more often
than the other cats, brings the rodents as gifts of love to the wife
and me.

Across the alley behind our home, the neighbor's back yard is enclosed
by a six-foot-high board fence that is capped with one-by-fours.  The
east half of that yard has been claimed by a pair of nesting
mockingbirds. Vinnie likes to lounge on the fence under a low hanging
limb and watch the lonesome cockatiel that constantly cries from the
cage on the neighbor's back porch.

One balmy afternoon last week, the female mockingbird began to berate
Vinnie and, as mockingbirds do, started dive-bombing him. At the first
blow on his back, Vinnie glanced up; then he ignored the mocker. She
continued to shriek and strike his back as Vinnie looked steadily
ahead, but he was slowly adjusting his position.

Blap! A roundhouse wallop drove the mocker to the pavement. She
flopped about for a moment then darted up the alley. Vinnie resumed
his study of the cockatiel.

Two days later Vinnie was in the same place, but this time the male
mockingbird was pounding him. I didn't have time to watch the outcome
of that round, but I did find a few fresh feathers - no carcass, just
feathers.
He prefers Inca Dove.

The mockers are raising their young now and Vinnie follows his usual
routine; we just don't see the birds and him in the area at the same
time anymore.

-Gaiawar