We’ve been relocating squirrels for years. Our yard is surrounded by oak trees, and last year being a mast year, there is once again an abundance of rodents. It is impossible to plant seeds since the squirrels are constantly digging holes in the garden beds. Most of the pots have small oak trees coming up in them.

Sunday morning I glanced out to see that one of the traps had an occupant. The view was partially blocked by one of the raised beds, but I could see that it was not the usual squirrel. Gosh, I said to a family member, I think we caught a cat.

But wait. It was by far the biggest cat I’d ever seen. It took up. . . the. . . whole. . . cage.

At a distance, it looked cuddly with that irresistible face. Closer, there was no doubt it was a feral creature, hissing and emitting bark-like sounds. I took a few pictures, but was reluctant to get very close. They do bite, and are known to carry nasty diseases.

Family members wearing thick gloves took it to the heavily wooded reservoir area.

Am I ready to buy more koi? Well, no. Raccoons also have family members.