Ginger Takes Point

Yesterday was Marsupial Day on this blog, a day dedicated to those placentaless weirdos that have been underfoot (literally) at my workplace recently.  Today, I am back on Team Placenta, courtesy of my dear friend and coworker Ginger.  I know I post a lot of pictures of the cat lounging around like a housepet, but she's a working cat, a crafty little hunter who certainly earns her pay- free lodging and a can of cat food (plus treats) per day.

This morning, while Scooby-Dooing (is too a vertb) around the property in the pre-dawn hours, I let Ginger take point.  I said to myself, "Ginger will lead, wherever she goes, you go."  She was in a weird mood, tense and tail-twitchy, going to all sorts of obscure corners of the grounds.  As she went, she sniffed constantly, and stopped periodically to look around.  Knowing that we have foxes and coyotes onsite, I made sure to stay close on her heels, but I made no effort to lead her or to keep her from going where her instinct led her.

Ginger eventually made it to the ass-end of the property, where our maintenance crew has their shop.  She examined the area underneath the dumpster next to the shop, and sniffed under the vehicles which comprise the small fleet that the maintenance and grounds crews use.  All the while, her tail twitching, her disposition alert...  Here's a shot of Ginger in action, blurry because of the poor lighting conditions:

It's a departure from the typical photo of the cat lounging on my desk, or standing, as if in disapproval, on my keyboard, but it is a good indication of the dear wee beastie at work.  Eventually, she led the way back to the core of the site, having made sure that the outskirts were safe for domesticity.  For her efforts, I gave her some delicious treats when I admitted her to her normal post inside one of several of our buildings.

For my part, I was most pleased to see a professional at work.