Day 24 / 102 - Backyard Anatomy 101

In the ten weeks that we've lived in Beckley, our neighbors' dogs have made it perfectly clear that animal trespassers are not welcome in their yard.  We've even witnessed them run down and kill at least one intruder.  Our own dog shared similar sentiments when we lived in the suburbs, taking care of a few squirrels and a groundhog that wandered in.  However, she is no match for these West Virginia hounds.

A couple weeks ago, our children, along with the neighbor children, discovered another carcass in their two-acre rural backyard.  They began to add their opinions on what type of animal remains they were observing.  More than one said fox.  More than one said cat.  One said pig (?).  My daughter insists the animal had fur and there was no way it could be a pig.  My husband and I thought....Teachable Moment.

I had my children take pictures of the skull to begin researching it on the internet.  After visiting several animal anatomy sites, as well as doing a little more research on the bones, my children are 100% certain this was a cat that wandered into the neighbor's yard never to wander out.