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I always get up before the sun. The cats (inside & ferrals outside)
are always fed just before it rises, no matter the time of year.
There is also a large, old pine next to my front door. I made a custom 'squirrel platform' on it whereas a squirrel can sit and eat from a plastic bowl I nailed to it. It is just above my head, so I
can reach up and place food in the cup, yet leave enough height that the cats can't ambush the squirrel.
'My squirrel' always gives me a chatter. She is letting me know I'm tardy, and to hurry up and fill her breakfast dish...
This morning, as I laid out the 4 cat dishes on the counter and began filling them, I could hear my squirrel already mouthing off,
with a very excited and a bit of an unusual pitch.
Looking out the window, I noticed it was still not light enough for her to appear. Unlike the cats, squirrels really will wait for the crack of dawn. It had not yet arrived. So I was puzzled, but went
ahead and doled out the cats' chow.
Squirrel food is next. It is stored in a large plastic bin with a lid and a scoop inside. She's still hollering at me, and now I hear my two ferrals chiming in. What's up with all the racket this morning?
Opening the door with the two cat dishes, I now see what all the commotion is about. There, on the porch, is a pale orange tabby I have never seen before. Instead of running, s/he now stands up from a sitting position, and backs up a bit, crying her/his eyes out at me. Behind him, is Betsy and Twinkie. S/he must have been guarding her/his position on the porch from them, determined to get something to eat this very chilly morning.
It was still not light enough outside to make out whether the cat was a male or female, nor much other than a body line and coloration. The cat was young, no older than 2 I'd guess, and thin. It was starving to risk dealing with the Twinkster, my large, burly and well-fed (neutered) male, whose territory this certainly was.
And yet Twinkie, although disgruntled, tolerated the cat. Was breakfast more important than territory, even to the Twink?
I sat down their dishes, and the stray jumped off the porch and ran to the side of the house. But s/he turned and looked at me, crying out, certainly begging for a bowl.
I went inside and filled another cat dish with food, walked down the stairs, and placed it within a few feet of the cur. The cat was tame enough to only slightly back away, and ran towards the bowl as I walked back from it.
Fast-forward to this afternoon, when I feed them all again. He was back, and on the porch. Betsy was on the top stair, watching
with indignance at his presence, but tolerant.
This time I got a good look at him. It is a male, and very sweet. The fur farthest to his body has a slight sheen, yet the newer growth is dull. He must have been loved by a 2-legger at one time, and then dumped.
And now, for the strangest observance of all. This cat has the most unusual and striking eyes I have ever seen. They are hard to describe. They are not gold, they are not yellow. They are as striking as the rays of the sun when it sets in a brillant burst of orange, just before ducking behind the dark pines. They almost glow!
I have decided to set out the Havahart for the next week or so, with trap propped open until I can set a date with vet to get him in. I hope Twinkie is alright with this, but I can't let him become
another statistic. A magnificent beast to be sure, he deserves a chance. My property is fenced in, an acre and a half, perhaps he will stay and rest for awhile.
I wonder what we should name him? Something to do with those
strange and beautiful eyes, to be sure.
Last edited by TerraDown; 01-07-2018 at 05:48 PM..
I always get up before the sun. The cats (inside & ferrals outside)
are always fed just before it rises, no matter the time of year.
There is also a large, old pine next to my front door. I made a custom 'squirrel platform' on it whereas a squirrel can sit and eat from a plastic bowl I nailed to it. It is just above my head, so I
can reach up and place food in the cup, yet leave enough height that the cats can't ambush the squirrel.
'My squirrel' always gives me a chatter. She is letting me know I'm tardy, and to hurry up and fill her breakfast dish...
This morning, as I laid out the 4 cat dishes on the counter and began filling them, I could hear my squirrel already mouthing off,
with a very excited and a bit of an unusual pitch.
Looking out the window, I noticed it was still not light enough for her to appear. Unlike the cats, squirrels really will wait for the crack of dawn. It had not yet arrived. So I was puzzled, but went
ahead and doled out the cats' chow.
Squirrel food is next. It is stored in a large plastic bin with a lid and a scoop inside. She's still hollering at me, and now I hear my two ferrals chiming in. What's up with all the racket this morning?
Opening the door with the two cat dishes, I now see what all the commotion is about. There, on the porch, is a pale orange tabby I have never seen before. Instead of running, s/he now stands up from a sitting position, and backs up a bit, crying her/his eyes out at me. Behind him, is Betsy and Twinkie. S/he must have been guarding her/his position on the porch from them, determined to get something to eat this very chilly morning.
It was still not light enough outside to make out whether the cat was a male or female, nor much other than a body line and coloration. The cat was young, no older than 2 I'd guess, and thin. It was starving to risk dealing with the Twinkster, my large, burly and well-fed (neutered) male, whose territory this certainly was.
And yet Twinkie, although disgruntled, tolerated the cat. Was breakfast more important than territory, even to the Twink?
I sat down their dishes, and the stray jumped off the porch and ran to the side of the house. But s/he turned and looked at me, crying out, certainly begging for a bowl.
I went inside and filled another cat dish with food, walked down the stairs, and placed it within a few feet of the cur. The cat was tame enough to only slightly back away, and ran towards the bowl as I walked back from it.
Fast-forward to this afternoon, when I feed them all again. He was back, and on the porch. Betsy was on the top stair, watching
with indignance at his presence, but tolerant.
This time I got a good look at him. It is a male, and very sweet. The fur closest to his body has a slight sheen, yet the newer growth is dull. He must have been loved by a 2-legger at one time, and then dumped.
And now, for the strangest observance of all. This cat has the most unusual and striking eyes I have ever seen. They are hard to describe. They are not gold, they are not yellow. They are as striking as the rays of the sun when it sets in a brillant burst of orange, just before ducking behind the dark pines. They almost glow!
I have decided to set out the Havahart for the next week or so, with trap propped open until I can set a date with vet to get him in. I hope Twinkie is alright with this, but I can't let him become
another statistic. A magnificent beast to be sure, he deserves a chance. My property is fenced in, an acre and a half, perhaps he will stay and rest for awhile.
I wonder what we should name him? Something to do with those
strange and beautiful eyes, to be sure.
Pippy, you asked what a havahart is, but must have edited your post.
Iven, 'Sunburst' will not do for a name. I want it to roll off my tongue, and have some playful meaning,
like 'Twinkie.'
We name ours with a formal and a nickname. Magical Being is Magic. Samson is Sammy or actually "cat" which he responds to best. I would suggest Sunburst formal and Sunny or even Sun for the nickname.
That is how it happens. For 12 years we were allowed to take care of "Biffer" or formally Big Fluff who lived on our patio. Came with the house. She was utterly feral. Classical Las Vegas cat. In it for the comps...nothing else. After 6 or 7 years the wife could touch her...but I never could. On the other side of things...no pigeons on our roof. She patrolled it rigorously and would make short work of any pigeon dumb enough to get caught in a dead end.
When she began to get old we would feed her a mild tranquilizer from our vet and put her to sleep. She would wake up at the vets with this big red sticker on her cage that she was feral. She was disarming but she would earn the sticker if anyone was dumb enough to get close.
In her last time my wife could pick her up...though I would still get a feeble paw swipe. Her ashes are forever in the backyard blessing the home.
yea, I googled it I MUST order one because I there are 2 very skittish cats I've been feeding that need to be seen by a vet very soon
Places like Lowes have them too, & some vets or humane groups rent them out.
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I MUST order one because I there are 2 very skittish cats I've been feeding that need to be seen by a vet very soon
