I told you I'd be back with a lookalike for Mia. It took me a while, but when I realised who (or rather what) she looks like, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before! The big round eyes, the tufty ears, it all points to another member of the animal kingdom...
Yes, a European eagle owl (or should that be, an European eagle owl?), Latin name Bubo bubo - the world's largest owl, apparently. I think the reason I didn't think of it before was that our little Mia has nothing in common with an owl. Let's look at the facts:
1. An owl flies silently through the night; Mia thumps up and down the stairs like a herd of wildebeest.
2. Eagle owls stalk and hunt their prey (up to the size of a small deer!); Mia can just about successfully pounce on a spider meandering lazily along the skirting board.
3. Owls often swallow their prey whole; Mia struggles if her dinner isn't mashed up enough before it's placed in front of her.
4. An eagle owl has a territory of up to 10km in diameter; some days Mia doesn't set paw outside the catflap.
5. This type of owl nests in a rocky crevice on a cliff edge; sometimes Mia finds the sofa too hard and has to retire upstairs to the 13 tog goose down duvet on Rachel & Pete's bed. It's a tough life...
On the plus side, she doesn't have the razor sharp talons and nasty beak of an owl, nor the aggressive tendencies, and she doesn't do that weird Exorcist thing and spin her head around 360 degrees. So all in all, I think I'd much prefer to snuggle up with her on a cold night than even the fluffiest, most well behaved little Pygmy owl.
(Don't tell her that I said that, though, I like to maintain my aloof exterior where Mia's concerned...)
1. An owl flies silently through the night; Mia thumps up and down the stairs like a herd of wildebeest.
2. Eagle owls stalk and hunt their prey (up to the size of a small deer!); Mia can just about successfully pounce on a spider meandering lazily along the skirting board.
3. Owls often swallow their prey whole; Mia struggles if her dinner isn't mashed up enough before it's placed in front of her.
4. An eagle owl has a territory of up to 10km in diameter; some days Mia doesn't set paw outside the catflap.
5. This type of owl nests in a rocky crevice on a cliff edge; sometimes Mia finds the sofa too hard and has to retire upstairs to the 13 tog goose down duvet on Rachel & Pete's bed. It's a tough life...
On the plus side, she doesn't have the razor sharp talons and nasty beak of an owl, nor the aggressive tendencies, and she doesn't do that weird Exorcist thing and spin her head around 360 degrees. So all in all, I think I'd much prefer to snuggle up with her on a cold night than even the fluffiest, most well behaved little Pygmy owl.
(Don't tell her that I said that, though, I like to maintain my aloof exterior where Mia's concerned...)
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