Since I live with animal companions I have a somewhat regular morning routine.

It begins with my opening my front door so that we can enjoy some extra light through the storm door, and so my cats can see the world—human and animal—cruise by.

Accompanied by hungry cats who sometimes try to speed me up by twirling around my feet—often producing the opposite effect—I head into the kitchen.

I then open the back door and let Kiya out. She likes to take a morning stroll from the back door to the front. When she arrives she positions herself on the doormat facing in.

Kiya’s arrival signals my two neighborhood crow friends that it is time for breakfast. It amuses me to see the two crows impatiently striding up and down the sidewalk behind her. With Kiya’s large waif-like eyes and nose almost pressed to the glass, the trio look like anxious shoppers waiting for the doors to open on sale day.

I let Kiya in, and feed my cats. Meanwhile the crows move closer to the door. Some days they stand on the front steps.

Today all I had for them was a handful of nuts, which I spread on the planting strip. As they dove joyfully onto the food, my highly unusual squirrel neighbor joined them.

Inviting A Squirrel to Breakfast ©Rose De Dan 2012

I have observed him for some time and have arrived at the conclusion that he is blind in one eye (which is almost closed). I think there may be something wrong with his brain since he often exhibits a slight head tilt and odd rolling gait.

Indoor cat Cougar finds him fascinating. Once in a while I hear a bang which means that Cougar has charged the storm door trying to catch the oblivious squirrel that just walked right in front of him.

And outdoor cats don’t seem to faze him either. I have frequently observed the squirrel rummaging through my flowerbeds while tiger cat Bagheera silently stalks him. The funny thing about Bagheera is that he only chases when the squirrel runs—which he seldom does.

One day Bagheera hid himself in the grasses, positioning himself on the squirrel’s blind side; the squirrel walked by right under Bagheera’s nose (apparently his sense of smell does not work well, either). Nonplussed at the squirrel’s lack of reaction, Bagheera simply watched him move on. Prey that was not afraid was too strange to even think about pursuing.

Today, while the crows were eating, I walked out the front door to replace the corn I put out for all the squirrels, expecting he would move away. Instead he tilted his head, turning his good eye my way, and began walking toward me. I assumed he would stop at some point, but he kept on coming.

Squirrel Breakfast at Wild Rose Café ©Rose De Dan 2012

Figuring that he was just too hungry to wait, I held the end of the ear of corn out to him guessing he would either run away or take a nibble. He did neither. Instead he looked at me expectantly and moved closer.

Now, I love animals, but it is not a good idea to get too cozy with wild squirrels. I decided not to wait and see if he was ever going to stop and wait like a normal squirrel. I quickly stripped off a few corn kernels and dropped them on the ground between us. Apparently that was what he was waiting for – personal service. He did not even take off with his prize; he sat down and ate, and then looked at me for more.

I left him sitting with a small pile and refilled the squirrel bungy. The bell has been ringing merrily all morning as he tucks into the personal breakfast service offered at the Wild Rose Café!

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A WILD WAY TO HEAL
Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC, is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author. Her classes, sessions and ceremonial work are inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for personal and global healing.