Saving the Sparrow

Our cat brought a sparrow into our home, unharmed except for the loss of a tail feather or two. It could fly, but couldn’t balance properly when landing. We sheltered him in our bathroom, no cat allowed, until the feathers grew back. He became very comfortable walking and loved to perch on my daughter’s fingers, one of the few places where he could land and keep his balance. Her expression of delight when he did this motivated me to make this piece of art. The work is quilted raw edge appliqué. Once the feathers grew back and we were sure he could fly, we moved our sparrow into the sunroom and left the doors open, cat now confined to the house. Rather than fly away with his flock, he sat on top of his cage and began to sing. Why not? Warm, sheltered, food and water supplied - what a perfect place to set up house and sing for a mate. Eventually he was shooed out of the house, flew into the trees and never looked back, and the cat regained his freedom.