Murder Kitties
And the real killer of humans: cows. And well, humans.
Hi!
I’m writing this newsletter from my mama’s home in North Carolina in the midst of my 25-city, two-month book tour for Wild, Willing, and Wise. Day before yesterday I taught in Atlanta, tomorrow I’ll share the new book at McIntyre’s Bookstore in Fearrington Village (just south of Chapel Hill) and Sunday at Curious Iguana in Frederick, Maryland. Then onward to Boston (Trident Bookstore), Woodstock NY (Golden Notebook), and 18 other cities. Full tour schedule below; you can also follow along our route with pics at polarsteps.com or on my social media stories: Instagram or Facebook.
Next week I’ll share more about nomad living on the road, and how my journey started off with a little disaster 30 miles from home.
But this week… let’s talk about murder kitties. And death by cow. And how to manage fear of the wild.
Here’s an outside and inside peek of my home for the next two months:
I have a new kitty. Or rather, a new kitty land-mate.
I first heard the sound earlier this summer; an eerie screeching/screaming sound coming rhythmically from the ridge above the community kitchen in Northern New Mexico.
It was just past dusk. At first I thought it must be a frog from the creek, because it was so regular. Scream/screech. Silence. Scream/Screech. Silence. Scream/Screech. Silence.
What else could it be but a frog?
But what frog sound could evoke a sense of quiet discomfort in my body, a slight edge of something not being right?
When I later mimicked the sound for my neighbor, she smiled.
“Oh, that is a big kitty,” she said.
“Like what kind of big kitty?” I asked
“A mountain lion,” she responded.
“Really?!?!?”
This news was thrilling to me for a couple of reasons. One, it means there is enough food for the prey animals, so there is enough food for the predators. The forest is coming back from the wildfire two years ago, and the habitat for wildlife is regenerating.
Second, I love all kitties. And to be in the presence of a mountain lion talking at dusk each night was both wondrous and a reminder that I live in the wild, with wild neighbors.
I knew that not many of my friends would be as thrilled as I was about the kitty on the ridge. So I started by sharing the news with my friend Matthew.
“A murder kitty?!?!” he said excitedly.
“Yes, a murder kitty!!!” I grinned back at him.
“I love murder kitties!” he said.
“Me, too!”
Here is the sound of my new friend, the murder kitty:
Note: all kitties are murder kitties, even your cute fluffy snuggly kitty at home.
This call went on every night around dusk for three weeks.
And then one night as a small group of us hiked up on the ridge we heard a second mountain lion calling back. I was overjoyed.
Murder kitty babies in the making! More friends! Life returning and multiplying on the land. What a gift.
Now, let’s talk about fear of predators.
When I pointed out the sound of the mountain lion to the women who were camping on the land (close your eyes and listen carefully; it was far away the call was easy to miss unless you were really listening for it) I also shared this piece of information:
Since 1868 there have been 29 cases of fatal mountain lion attacks in North America.
Just. 29. In over 150 years.
Here’s the full statistic from mountainlion.org
There have been 29 cases (not all confirmed) of fatal mountain lion attacks on humans in North America since 1868, for an average of about 0.18 attacks per year. For context, each year in the US on average 777 people die from mosquito-borne illnesses, 28 people are struck by lightning, at least 20 people die from firearm-related hunting accidents, 86 people die from animal venom, and about 35,000 to 45,000 people die from motor vehicle accidents. By contrast, in California alone, two mountain lions die of car strikes every week, on average.
Read that again: Two mountain lions die by car strikes every week, just in California. Who should be afraid of whom?
The deadliest creature to humans is: the mosquito.
You are more likely to die by cow than by shark.
And truly one of the most lethal animals to humans is the human. (Or that ubiquitous animal that is tremendously deadly: the car.)
Here’s another fact I just learned: black widow spider bites are very very very rarely fatal.
WHAT?!?! Why have we been led to believe that black widows are terribly dangerous?
Reactions to black widow bites can be mild or life-threatening. Children and older people are more at risk of serious complications. No deaths have been reported in the U.S. from black widow bites.
While it is obviously not fun to be bitten by a black widow spider, it is also not something to be terrified about. They are not out to get you, just like mountain lions are minding their own mountain liony business 99.9 percent of the time. And yes, sometimes mountain lions are scary and stalk humans. And you are much more likely to be stomped to death by a cow than even meet up with a mountain lion.
But we don’t go around being terrified of cows.
One way to help soothe our fears is to get to know the many friends we share the planet with.
To understand that what we fear is not always what we should be afraid of. I live my life consciously shifting fear to respect: I deeply respect the mountain lion that I share land with. And the black bears. But I don’t need to fear them. I just need to understand how to be in relationship with them in case we happen to meet unexpectedly.
Here’s a video from National Geographic of the secret lives of a mountain lion family. They cuddle. They play. They hang out. They are much more like us when we get to know them, and understand that they are good neighbors in so many ways. Yay for murder kitties. And cows. And black widows. And sharks. May we learn to live in harmony with you, instead of in fear. And may we learn from the wild creatures how to embrace our own playful, loving, fierce animal nature.
Wild, Willing, and Wise Book Tour 2024
All the deets at wildwillingwise.com; list of venues and dates below
Come see me!
August Tour Dates
Reserve your space or get tickets at wildwillingwise.com
Saturday, August 17th: Chapel Hill NC at McIntyres Books
Sunday, August 18th: Frederick MD at Curious Iguana
Tuesday, August 20th: Boston MA at Trident Books
Wednesday, August 21: Indigo Girls and Melissa Ethridge Concert!!!!!
Sunday, August 25th: Woodstock NY at Golden Notebook
Tuesday, August 27th: Cansfield OH at Ursuline Mother House
Thursday, August 29th: Chicago IL at Picnic Wine & Provisions
Saturday, August 31st: Madison WI at Helios and Luna Healing Center
September Tour Dates
September 6 - 8th: Sedona AZ Shamanism and the Divine Feminine workshop
Tuesday, September 10th: Sedona AZ at Global Center for Christ Consciousness
Thursday, September 12th: Phoenix, AZ Changing Hands Bookshop
Saturday, September 14th: Ojai CA at Magic Hour Tea House
Tuesday, September 17th: Davis CA at International House
Thursday, September 19th: Portland OR at New Renaissance
Friday, September 20th: TriCities WA at Adventures Underground
Sunday, September 22: Boise ID at Rediscovered Books
Tuesday, September 24th: Salt Lake City UT at Golden Braid Books
Thursday, September 26th: Denver CO at Tattered Cover
Friday, September 27th: Boulder CO at Boulder Bookstore
Friday, October 4th: Santa Fe NM at Unity of Santa Fe with Arc Bookstore
You can now order Wild, Willing, and Wise everywhere books are sold!!! Best option: support your local bookstore
Or: amazon.com • bookshop.org • barnesandnoble.com
Thank you for supporting an author who soooo appreciates you!
I love these statistics about how dangerous, or actually NOT dangerous these beings are. I’ll be sharing in my environmental communication class this semester. We often discuss, in terms of grizzly attacks of hunters as rare, but it happens e.g. Blaze a few years ago in Yellowstone. She was killed and her cubs taken to a zoo. So problematic.
I’m not trying to be irreverent about life, but we’ve pushed these animals into these arbitrary spaces that we call national parks and then when we want to go hike in them, if they hurt us, we kill them. This goes to your point about how humans are the dangerous species. Great piece-thanks! ✍🏼♥️🌀
I was driving back from Albuquerque a month ago, between 1 & 2 AM when suddenly, out of nowhere, a big kitty jumped out right in front of my van
I'm well versed enough to know better than to swerve my "metal horse" because even on a Sunday night at that hour, there was a fair amount of traffic.
I gripped the wheel hard expecting to feel a big bump from the collision but there was none. PHEW!! I was delighted and in awe that I had experienced the gift of seeing a giant kitty so close up. Her very long tail left no doubt and the strength and speed of those legs and her long body just left me in awe!!