(Published Tuesday, August 21, 2007 11:32:51 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Marcia Nelesen mnelesen@gazetteextra.com
A hawk looking for breakfast in the form of a tabby cat swooped from a nearby tree and crashed through a screen into the porch of a Janesville house last week.
Dave Langowski, 1705 Eastwood Ave., was enjoying his own breakfast at the kitchen countertop with a clear view through the French doors to the porch.
"I look up and here's the hawk, flapping around in the porch," Langowski said. "And Kramer's going after him."
Kramer is the cat that moments before had been lounging on the porch, minding his own business and watching chipmunks and squirrels.
"I jump up and open the door wider and holler, 'Kramer, get in here,'" said Langowski, 62. "You think a cat's going to listen to me? It's not going to happen."
Dave Langowski of Janesville holds Kramer, one of his two family cats, as he looks through the hole in his screen left by an immature red-tailed hawk that dive-bombed into Langowski's porch last week to attack Kramer. 'Somehow, I've got to get ahold of Kramer,' Langowski said he thought to himself while assessing the situation. 'He's going to lose this war.'
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
"Kramer, look at the talons," Langowski said later in recounting his story. "You don't have any claws on your front paws. You're going to be toast.
"I don't think he realized what he was getting himself into," said Langowski, adding that Kramer is as goofy as the Seinfeld character he is named after.
Langowski and his wife, Josie, cherish Kramer and a second cat, Reggie.
"Somehow, I've got to get a hold of Kramer," he thought. "He's going to lose this war."
But Langowski also was looking at the bird's talons, thinking: "Kramer, you and I are in trouble.
"I grab a chair to protect myself to go out and rescue Kramer."
He got a hold of Kramer, threw him into the house and slammed shut the French doors.
Then he had to get rid of the hawk, which was hanging from one of the screens. But both screened doors were locked.
"He's watching me-no pun intended-like a hawk," Langowski said.
Scenarios ran through his head: He could grab a blanket, throw it over the hawk and run it outside. Or he could cut the screen where the bird is attached, hoping it would fly out.
The hawk that attacked Dave Langowski's cat, Kramer, clings to a porch screen.
Submitted photo
But after another look at the wicked talons, he decided to consult his neighbor, an outdoors guy.
When he and Jim Rhoades returned, the hawk was perched on a white wicker chair. Now, they were outside looking in. The hawk was glaring at Langowski with that predator's eye.
They planned a diversion: Langowski rushed the porch through the French doors and headed straight to one of the locked doors. Jim, outside on the opposite side, started making noises.
Langowski opened the door and got behind it. The hawk flew at him, again not grasping the whole screen thing. Langowski rattled the door a bit, and the bird found the opening and flew away.
The hawk is fine.
Kramer is fine.
The other cat, Reggie, is fine. In fact, Reggie is very fine because he watched the excitement safely behind the French doors.
The porch screen is not so fine. It's got a 2-foot hole.
As for Langowski?
"It was too early in the morning for me to have a drink," Langowski said.
