It has been an eventful Thursday at the Lilly's Kitty Lounge household... but unfortunately for us humans Lilly has been pretty much absent! Of course the day when she is MOST needed she is nowhere to be found! Where is it that she was, you ask? While the apartment was under attack Lilly was in the other room snoozing the morning away. It seems that the kibbles today had an adverse effect on her hunting instinct and she could think of nothing better than to let the morning drift quickly and quietly away.

So what exactly happened you may ask? Well, the birds, sensing the absence of what they probably refer to as "the beast", decided to get greedy. The ranks came marching in... hut-two-three-four, hut-two-three-four, bouncing across the banister like it was nobody's business. As three marched in from the right, Chancho arrived from the left. There was a momentary standoff... and then the dining began. Chancho didn't mind eating off the ground. You know Chancho... he'll eat whatever he can get. The three birds were happily perched on the feeder filling their morning belly when in flew an air attack!

There were bird seeds flying everywhere! All the ranks were tweeting up a storm (and not in the Twitter sense!). Apparently only 3 of the 6 perches on the bird feeder are good enough. Who would have thought that such little cuties could get so rough and tumbley? There was an all out brawl on the ground. Chancho decided that fighting wasn't his cup of tea so he flew off. They rolled and kicked and fought. Just as they were getting really into it a truck rolled by and broke up the brawl.

All of this in a mere matter of minutes! And all because Lilly was nowhere to be found. When she says that she is protecting the fort, she really means it. I used to think that her needless chattering at the birds was just to bug them... but now I know that really she was keeping the peace.

And folks, that is not all that happened while the cat was snoozing! For the first time ever, a squirrel made its way to our bird feeder. This was no ordinary squirrel. He was large and in charge... and without a sense of self-preservation. Then again, I guess that is pretty much the squirrel way. He hopped on up there like he was light as a feather. He was quite nimble and athletic for such a burly creature... and at first I was intrigued.

Now I know that the squirrels are known for driving people crazy. I know my parents had to get a squirrel proof feeder because they were eating them out of house and home even more than the birds! But I just thought they were kind of cute and fuzzy...

Wrong and wrong.

I intently watched and even pulled out my camera. I thought this was going to be an experience worth documenting. I mean, Lilly was away, how else was I going to show her all the excitement she was missing? So I began the video...

The squirrel, as you can see, was doing its thing. When I got up and went over to it I thought for sure it would get spooked. Nope.

I happily continued filming...

and then... the squirrel did something that put it on my "list".

NOOOOOOO! How COULD it? MY BIRD FEEDER! Broken! And all the while Lilly is in the other room sleeping! At this point, I had to take matters into my own hands. I tried some tapping on the glass. Not effective. The squirrel just stared at me as if to say "I DARE you human".

Oh no he didn't.

So I opened the glass. With the screen still between us I felt pretty high and mighty. I gave it a little yell and apparently that was enough. Off he scampered... and I taped the evidence.

*Sigh* What a day! Where was my huntress of the household?!

Of course she came trotting out of the other room after I had scared the squirrel away.

Why had she not come earlier? Surely all that commotion had to have grabbed her attention... right?

...

Unless...

she was aware...

but chose to let it continue...

It is GENIUS! She knew ALL along but she let it go on because nothing would bring her more joy than to have that bird feeder dismantled and gone!

Oh Lilly, sometimes I underestimate your devious nature...