Phew!

We heard a car pip its horn and I went outside to check that we did not have a cat on the road...

I looked to my right and saw a heap o f fur in the road. A small heap of tabby-like fur. I wondered where the rest of Dusty was and the tears began to flow...

As I approached what I thought was one half of o=my cat -  it moved, In fact it wobbled. I moved a little closer and found it to be this wee thing.

I tried to usher it from the middle of the road and towards the verge and, blow me, if it didn't come at me with every instinct to attack. 

A couple of cars came along and I retreated to my side of the road. They slowed and the beast survived. I was then able to persuade it safely onto the verge and came in to find a camera. After a brief photoshoot it made its way up the bank and through the hedge and hopefully found its way home.

It is a baby Coypu (or Nutria) and quite young. Coypu have large litters, so, unusual to see this wee thing alone and at this distance from the nearest pond. I imagine that either Chloé or Dusty had a hand in this matter and we shall need to check them for bites.

It's bad enough when Dusty brings mice in but I really cannot imagine what I would do if he brought one of these home!

Anyway, I am conflicted. Every instinct in me wants to rescue and nurture the baby, which seemed weak or unwell (possibly due to cat attack, maybe from hunger from being separated from its mother) but the bottom line is - it is a rat. Coypu are aggressive, an invasive pest and a big problem for farmers. To save its life would only be to add to the problem. I am not brave enough to try and wring its neck and put it out of its misery, so I leave Nature to take its course (or the farmer's Coypu trap to do its work) and I do not feel good about it.

I'm not sure if I prefer this shot or the Extra for today, which shows off his little webbed feet better.

This article is informative, for anyone who doesn't know about Coypu. Note particularly the statistics on breeding and the volume of material that they eat. Being the National Geographic, it also offers far better photography than my own :-)