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This is a tiny little tale about a beautiful stray kitty cat at the Popoyote Lagoon cocodrilario -- a crocodile and other-wildlife refuge -- at Playa Linda in Ixtapa, Mexico. I've written many other posts about this little place that I enjoy each year. (perhaps I'll get more photos posted for 2018) You can check out the archive HERE. 

So this year, I was hanging out at the lagoon with my camera, as usual, when I spotted this sweet stray kitty with beautiful green eyes. She was far from the only stray in the area ... as there are fishermen, restaurants and tourists in the area, they make a pretty good living off of scraps alone, plus whatever they forage for on their own. She was a little special, though, in that she was uber friendly and had those mesmerizing eyes. I stopped to pet her, then I wanted to take her photograph, but I could never get far enough in front of her to get a good shot off before she had walked up too close to me to focus. I really could not get more than a few feet away from her, she stuck by my side no matter where I walked or what I did. So, she quickly stole my heart. Just hold still, kitty! 

We were hanging out together near a spot where there was a hole in the chain-link fence, when kitty abruptly up and left me, scampering through the hole in the fence. What did she see?

Well, I have no idea, but she certainly was on a mission. She trotted through the fence and then sprinted to this tree and started to climb it.

After a few seconds, she dropped back down and then draped herself over the roots and watched the crocodile-infested water below her very intently. I worried a bit for her safety, as a few years past I saw a three-legged kitty wandering through the crocodile refuge ..... But my friend was on high alert. She looks kind of incredulous or possibly horrified. But I couldn't see anything of interest.  

I watched her for probably ten minutes in this posture before she strolled back inside the fence. So I never knew what had suddenly caught her attention and kept her so rapt during that time. When she came back inside the fence, a little girl spied her and marched over to gently (surprisingly) pick her up. Just then, my niece showed up, who absolutely loves kitty cats. The little Mexican girl was so darling, she held out the kitty to my niece to pet. It would have made a good photo except I was not far enough back from them with my 70-200 lens to fit them all in. But it was a sweet moment. 

Although the kitty was quite a good sport, after a short while spent draped over the little girl's arms, she wriggled her way down to the ground and disappeared back inside the fence. I lost track of her then for a short while as I photographed some birds and turtles. The second photo in this sequence isn't in great focus, but what's great about it is that it shows the turtle suddenly ducking his head inside his shell as the bird takes off in flight above him. 

Then I spied little kitty again, and she had a delectable and gigantic morsel in her mouth. I don't know if another animal neatly decapitated the fish or if a fisherman somewhere took the head off and threw it into the lagoon, but kitty was way psyched. She could barely fit her mouth around the fish head; she was going to have an afternoon feast! 

I just enjoyed myself witnessing this time in a stray kitty's life. Typically when you see such a cat, you maybe stop to give them a few scritches or a scrap of food and then move along, never really knowing how they spend their time. Just as I enjoyed watching the life of the lion family one afternoon in Botswana, I enjoyed this little episode of a stray kitty making human friends and landing a generous meal. And I did manage one still portrait of her lovely face before she disappeared with the gruesome fish head.

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Read more Tuesday Tales

Visit more kitty cats with me on Chios Island