posted June 19, 2006 06:12 PM         

The Star-Ledger reports that Suzanne Giovanetti was reading at the kitchen table when her husband Dean cried out from the TV room at the back of the house that a black bear had just scurried up a tree on the edge of the couple’s backyard.

The Giovanetti's live in Shady Lake, a private community at the base of West Milford, and Suzanne Giovanetti says she sees one or two bears a year.

She quickly grabbed her camera and snapped these pictures from the safe vantage point of a second-floor balcony.

Then she noticed Jack camped out at the base of the tree.

"I thought, ‘Aww, look at the little kitty looking at the bear,’" Giovanetti said. But as Giovanetti watched on, she saw the bear cast frequent, worried glances down at the cat, a 10-year-old orange-and-white tabby named Jack.

Jack's owner, Donna Dickey, tells The Star-Ledger of Newark Jack considers the area his turf and doesn't want anyone in his yard.

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posted June 19, 2006 06:59 PM         

Bear's out on a limb, fleeing a clawless kitty
Cat proves size doesn't always matter in his neck of the woods
Friday, June 09, 2006
BY PAOLA LORIGGIO
Star-Ledger Staff

To his neighbors, he's a loner, a sometimes-friendly, sometimes- surly senior who spends his days wandering through the woods. He is particular about his yard. Strang ers are not always welcomed.

But last week, Jack the cat be came a hero when he chased a black bear out of his neighbors' yard and up a tree.

Last Sunday afternoon Suzanne Giovanetti was reading at the kitchen table when her husband Dean cried out from the TV room at the back of the house: A black bear had just scurried up a tree on the edge of the couple's backyard in Shady Lake, a private community at the base of West Milford.

Though experts consider West Milford one of the state's most bear-populated areas, Giovanetti sees only one or two of them each year, she said. Within minutes, the 47-year-old graphic artist was up on the second-floor balcony overlooking the yard, camera in hand. She was about 30 feet away from the bear and almost eye-level with it.

That's when she noticed the cat stationed under the tree, sentry- like.

"I thought, 'Aww, look at the little kitty looking at the bear,'" Giovanetti said. But as Giovanetti watched on, she saw the bear cast frequent, worried glances down at the cat, a 10-year-old orange-and- white tabby named Jack. The bear seemed scared.

The bear "hung out uncomfortably in the tree" for 10 to 15 minutes, eyeing the cat who was eyeing him, Giovanetti said. It then inched halfway down the tree, paused, quickly jumped off and ran "like a bolt," with Jack on his tail.

"I think the cat was hissing at the bear as it came down the tree," Giovanetti said.

Jack's owner Donna Dickey, 48, who lives two doors down from Giovanetti, walked out on her back porch to photograph the bear when she heard her neighbor yelling from the balcony.

I panicked when I heard Suzanne yelling about Jack," Dickey said. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, the bear's gonna get him!'"

Not quite. Jack chased the bear into the brush and up another tree about 15 feet away. He then stood watch for a few minutes before Dickey, who had run to Giovanet ti's porch, called him to her. The cat sauntered back toward the group, "rubbing up against everyone," Dickey said

I panicked when I heard Suzanne yelling about Jack," Dickey said. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, the bear's gonna get him!'"

Not quite. Jack chased the bear into the brush and up another tree about 15 feet away. He then stood watch for a few minutes before Dickey, who had run to Giovanet ti's porch, called him to her. The cat sauntered back toward the group, "rubbing up against everyone," Dickey said

posted June 19, 2006 09:36 PM         

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Every time I look at that picture, it cracks me up, lol.

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posted June 20, 2006 11:50 AM         

Yep, that's just the way we train our cats in Jersey. Ferocious and fearless