The Hummingbird and the Cat 
 By Veeraswamy Krishnaraj   Feb 11, 2019

The Hummingbird and the Cat

A feral cat was on the prowl. A rustle in the fall leaves on the forest floor stopped him and made it notice it. A little mouse was running under cover of the dry leaves. The cat caught the forest field mouse with ease and ate him. The rib cage of the mouse got stuck in the gullet of the cat. He had a hard time breathing because the blocked throat was pressing on the windpipe. He coughed, gagged, drooled and turned blue on his nose, a sign of blockage and poor oxygenation.

A hummingbird saw the cat in distress and turning blue on his nose.                                                                                                                      

The Hummingbird: Dear cat, you seem to be choking. Did you eat a hippo for lunch?

The cat in a muffled voice: Nothing of that sort. The entire rib cage of a mouse got stuck in my gullet. It is pressing on my windpipe.

The Hummingbird: I could help you with your problem. See, I have a long bill. I can simply yank it out, and you will be fine.

The Cat: What are you waiting for. Go ahead and do it. I will be grateful.

The Hummingbird: There is a problem. How do I know you won't bite my beak?

A hummingbird with no beak is a dead bird.

The Cat: I promise, I won't bite it. Please help me.

The hummingbird flew down, put a big stick across the cat's mouth to prevent the cat from biting on the beak, and pulled out the rib cage of the mouse from its throat with his beak. The relief was immediate.  Proof: the cat took a deep breath. Cat's nose turned pink.  The cat was jumping for joy.

The hummingbird dropped the ribcage from its bill, knocked the stick off the mouth of the cat, flew away and sat on the branch of a tree.

The cat thanked the bird profusely.

The Hummingbird: Credit:  Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) | by www.sanjorgeecolodges.com

                                                                           

The Cat: Thank you very much. Who would help you, if something gets stuck in your throat?

The Hummingbird: My food is the liquid nectar from the flowers. I don’t choke on it.

Days went by with nothing to speak of. The bird and the cat remained friends.

One day, the bird flew into an abandoned net and could not extricate itself from the net. It bit the net in vain. It remained inside the net flapping its wings.

The cat, as usual, came under the tree to visit with its savior. The bird exhausted from flapping its wings chirped feebly. The cat heard the weak cry of the bird and saw the bird was inside the net.

The cat knew if the hummingbird remained in the net too long, it would die of starvation.

The cat: Hi there. Can I come up the tree and cut the net with my teeth, so you can fly again?

The Hummingbird: How do I know you won’t eat me, now that I am stuck inside the net.

The Cat: No, I won’t eat you. I remember your good deed that saved me. I will return the favor.

The hummingbird: Thank you. Do your job and release me from this net.

The cat climbed up the tree and gnawed on the net, made a hole large enough for the bird to escape. The bird did escape unmolested by the cat and thanked the cat for his return favor. It flew straight to its favorite flowers to have a drink of the nectar.

They remained friends forever.