One can only hope! As I mentioned the other day, after my honored neighbor (winsomely known as Other Daughter) found a dead Maine Coon Cat behind our houses and concluded one of the coyotes had done it in, she was found trailing her cat up and down the alley.

This morning a new handyman came by to give me some estimates for several small jobs that need to be done. One of the things I hoped he might do is attach more trellis to the block wall that surrounds the back yard, because I believe it blocks her from jumping over.

He was, in a word, abhorred.

In the first place, the old trellising is a hilarious mess that needs to be taken down and tossed out. And in the second, the Cat Repelling System I installed -- strips of carpet tack secured to the top of the wall in hopes of poking her little feet -- has warped and buckled in the rain and so looks even more, uhm, eccentric than it did when freshly installed.

In the second place, he didn't understand what was wrong with the dogs snacking on a little cat poop now and again. When I explained that cats carry parasites and dogs pick up the parasites by eating the cat gifts and the parasites cause vet bills and I freaking can't afford a vet bill because the neighbor lets her cat run loose, he sort of seemed to get it. Though he pretty clearly earns enough that he can afford the occasional vet bill.

He felt the whole idea was a lost cause, given the reality that When You Do Battle with a Cat, the Cat Always Wins.

After this exchange, he went out to his truck to select a tool and I heard him say good morning  to someone.

And lo! It was Other Daughter, padding around out front! This produced a great opportunity for the two biddies to chat.

So we learned that Other Daughter is still walking her cat!

Ah.

She's keeping Kitty indoors except for brief chaperoned outings, during which she never lets the cat out of her sight.

You realize what this means, of course...

If it's true and it continues, it means that cat is going to stay out of my yard. And...that means all the battlements atop the back walls are moot!

I can take the junk down. woo-HOOO!

The only thing I want to be rid of more than the junk on the walls is Other Daughter's cat.