Devil or Angel?

My parents have the most interesting cat I think I have ever happened upon. Her name is Diavo (pronounced Dee-ah-bo or Bob-o if you are Luke). My parents inherited her and another cat, an orange male tabby named Tiger, from my brother Dave when his family moved to Utah and couldn't take them along. Anyway, after a few weeks at their new home, Tiger disappeared and Diavo has been with my parents ever since. And this cat is the most ruthless, baby-faced killer I have ever met. You wouldn't suspect her would you?

It started probably last Thanksgiving when my parents began to find the usual dead lizards, lizard tails, lizard parts, etc. that were littering the front walk of their house. No big deal, right? Then it escalated to finding mice bodies. Then it turned into live mice that got dragged in and were let loose all over the house. Then it became many, many mice being dragged into the house. Then it turned into rats- giant rats- dead and alive. Headless rats. Snakes. Perfectly clean and separated rodent entrails. Birds, godzilla-sized moths, baby squirrels, and the latest carcass was that of a dead mole. (And FYI, moles really do look just like they do in the movies or cartoons. See "Speckles" in the movie G-Force for reference.)

Now if cats bring in all the dead vermin as gifts to their masters, well then my parents must be the bestest darn cat masters this side of the Mississippi, because that cat is a killing machine! Her killing sprees ocurr roughly every 2 days or so. In fact, I have decided to put a new widget on my blog, that of "Diavo's Carnage Tracker"- it will have a small picture used to keep us all updated on the latest vermin she killed or brought into my parent's house.

It is actually urban legend among my family that the orange tabby she came with, Tiger, didn't just run away, but rather Diavo killed him for looking at her the wrong way. And after seeing the results of her killing escapades, I am starting to believe it. I think she works for the CIA as some sort of mercenary in her spare time.

Ironically, however, she is also the nicest cat when it comes to humans. My own cat, Yoshi, has scratched my kids numerous times when they get to close or get on her nerves. But Diavo has never even taken a swipe at them. She is very affectionate and playful. Cindy and Luke love to get out string or her special kitty treats and play with her when they visit at Grandma's. But maybe the reason she is able to catch and kill all these critters is because of her ability to make instantaneous appearances. My dad has nicknamed her "Kramer" (of Seinfeld fame) because she just magically shows up. Right beside you on the couch, next to you on the computer- she just materializes out of thin air. One minute you are alone, the next she is two inches from your face. Which you can only imagine how fun that is when it happens to my jittery mom :)