The Gift Relationship

When I studied Anthropology many moons ago ( mostly in an attempt to avoid the Sociology lecture halls ) I spent many a happy hour in the library stacks ferreting out tomes on the Gift Relationship and its meaning in cultural life .

I am therefore not one to take lightly the meaning behind an offering of any kind , however small and squished.
But I did begin to wonder what it was with this past week when I received my sixth tiny mouse, deceased , bloody , and in some cases , decapitated. In one case , just the head , if you please and thank you .

All laid out for me , in not one but in two CatCalls households and thus the offerings were the work of two or possibly four cats though I have my money on the former, both females of the species, clearly trying to tell me something . Or perhaps to offer me a Bonus for services rendered.

Cat One watched with interest as I scooped up the tinies in a couple of tissues whilst formulating a plan of despatch (finally involving the garden and a few words of broadly Buddhist slant, it is what it is etc ) , her whiskers whisking and her face moving up and down in tune with my actions , not wanting to miss anything .
Cat Three in House Two snored heavily in the bedroom , her lack of interest palpable .

Surely this torrential rain is not the weather for elderly cats?
Fingers crossed that there are no more surprises tomorrow .