I found a small pile of intestines and such in my backyard today. No fur. No feathers. No blood. No bones. Just the guts. My dog caught a whiff of it this morning, but didn't investigate and I didn't think anything of it. Later, when we came home from a couple of errands, she went over there again, but this time she was sniffing and very intent -- thankfully not touching it. And, still, I didn't check to see what it was. A short while later, I let the hens out to forage in the yard while I tied the tarp down on our wood pile. When I was raking up some wet leaves, I found a big earthworm. Usually, I protect the worms from the hens, if I can. This time, though, I picked it up and tossed it to Tilly, who is taking her time getting her new feathers after her molt. It was then that I noticed that pile of intestines. I've read that cats will often leave just the guts after licking them clean of blood. Honestly, that is the only thing that could have left this little pile of guts. No hunters in my backyard. No dogs. Maybe a hawk, but it wasn't there last night when I went to bed. And owls eat their food pretty much whole then either barf up or poop out the hair and bones.
