The Fence Lizard’s happy ending

I’ve been waiting for a story like this to introduce my “Critter Killing Kitty Cat” - say that 5 times fast - also known as, Addy. She is the sweetest little jet black kitty and in the last few months, it has become customary for me to find a small mouse or lizard on my back porch that she has killed.
So today, I pull up at my house, and see that Addy has something captured on my front porch. I approach slowly and see this unusual critter. I check to see if it is still alive, and it is, so, I try and get Addy away.
As I move in closer to look at her victim I decide it looks like a tiny iguana, without the mohawk. I have never seen anything like it. Luckily, I have my camera around my neck because I had taken it to work with me and I snap a picture of this “thing” so I can get an ID on it.


Meanwhile as I’m trying to take pictures, keep Addy away, who is very irritated with me by this point, and get the creature to safer ground, I realize he is hissing at us. So funny . . . he’s little bitty, but he is still a bit scary!
I call my Aunt Debra who has taught me recently those little green “lizards” we commonly see are actually called Anoles (uh-NO-leez). So I figure if anybody can tell me what this is it would be her.
I describe him to her and she says it may be a Fence Lizard, and asks if it has bright blue armpits and a bright blue underbelly. From what I can tell, I say no, but we decide I should start my search there anyway.

So I come in and Google Fence Lizard, and download my pictures and sure enough . . . it’s a Fence Lizard! I can even see the blue markings in my pictures that I missed in all the excitement earlier. COOL!
Finally, I try to decide what to do with the dear Fence Lizard. I spot an empty cheezy poof bucket. I go back out front and get him safely inside the bucket and take him down to the tree line in the FRONT yard and let him go, while Addy is enjoying her Cat Chow in the BACK yard.