Our childhood family cat, Socks, was a spirited tabby-Persian.  With long hair she looked much bigger than her diminutive six pounds.  As cats go, she was playful, adventurous, very trainable, had a thirst for independence and being out of doors.  This story is set at the family cabin on Mayne Island, British Columbia.  Mayne Island now, and even more so then, is very rural, predominantly inhabited in the summer months, divided into large lots and dotted with small cabins.  As a result of our previous cat going missing while on Mayne Island, Socks was only allowed outside on a 50 ft leash tied to the center post of the front porch.  Between the front porch and a short cliff to the beach was about 50 ft of unwatered grass moderately sloping towards the ocean.  In the late spring the grass would turn golden and stop growing until the fall.  One midsummer afternoon socks was outside on her leash and eventually settled down for a nap underneath a long green leafy hedge like bush that bordered our property, as it was one of the few locations to provide shade.  I happened to be in the kitchen where the windows overlook the the hedge when I noticed a large columbian black tailed deer walking towards the very end of the bush socks had chosen for her nap.  Completely ignoring the ball of fur on the ground the buck checked out the bush while standing directly over the comatose feline.  Disappointed to find the bush inedible, the buck’s attention turned to the odd looking puff on the ground.  Lowering its head, complete with majestic antlers the buck sniffed at Socks, inches from her curled up body.  Wether it was the sound or the smell of the buck’s breath that raised Socks consciousness, she woke staring back the buck at an uncomfortably close range.  While a confident, spirited, territorial cat, Socks immediately panicked.  She bolted away from the buck hitting full speed in just a few strides as the buck watched curiously.  Socks ran directly towards a small tree on the precipice of the cliff at the very front of the property, reaching the end of her leash before the tree.  Given the slope of Socks’ vector, the her momentum was transferred tangentially up from the grass, launching her up in the air a good six to eight feet.  After returning to the ground and realizing she had no cover in her current location Socks sprinted straight back under the porch and the cabin.  The dear, only momentarily curious, returned to searching for sustenance.  Socks remained under the house until the buck had vanished from sight for a good 15 minutes, apparently none the worse for wear.  Incidentally, the experience did not change Socks desire for the out of doors or her selection of sleeping locations.