If you didn’t grow up on a farm, you may not know there is a huge difference between a pet cat and a tom cat. To be blunt, the former you can pet; the latter you stay away from, unless you want a trip to the city hospital for stitches. Still, both types of cats help control the mouse population. Conflicts are rare if everyone stays in their place.

But sometimes a clash of species occurs.

HS knows that. When she was six, the tom cat that roamed the outskirts of her family’s farm got a little too close. Well, much too close, especially to their pet cat (Wild) and her kittens. HS’s dad took over.

Here is HS’s first grade journal entry, a letter to her father about how he handled the tom cat versus house cat conflict.

TRANSCRIPTION:

Dear Dad,

I remember when we shot the tom cat. He was a bugger. He was stupid.

He killed 3 batches of kittens. We think that he killed Wild.

You shot him (Good Dad) in the head.

It was funny, but when we found Wild we were sad.

You buried the tom cat and Wild in the garden.

Love, Bug.

I’m pretty sure HS (a.k.a. Bug) has a future in humor writing.

Here’s hoping all our weekends are tom cat free.

*

To read more about tom cats, guns, and growing up as a farm girl, check out my post today at Ironic Mom.