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We have a gang of outdoor cats. Volunteers. Wanderers. Orfins as my wife called them.
We adopted Molly and River from a cat shelter around Valentine's Day 2016. In spring 2017 a pretty striped/spotted grey cat appeared in our yard, apparently deciding that would be a good place to nap every afternoon. OK.
We fed her at some point, we named her Pots--for Cat With Spots Who Circles--because she has spots and she'd warily circle us on the patio as we dished out food. In August three bundles of Joy appeared. Kittens hopping and jumping and running around. We have no idea where she birthed them, we have a wooded acre so somewhere in the woods I suppose. Or perhaps in or under the 14x22 tool shed. I'd left one door open I believe, though I don't recall the specifics of when the shed became Kitty Kondo.
And then there were four. Later White Dot appeared, then Taurus--both males--and another pretty fluffy male who we didn't name, and then a male we named Hoppy because he'd had an injury of some sort and hopped a bit. Hoppy was quite smart, he could climb a ladder.
Fluffy went bananas one day and attacked Pots as she was peacefully eating, so he became persona non grata.
A kitten showed up out front and I fed him by the porch. Then another little one, more shy, and I fed him too.
Then a female who I named Pretty Girl appeared. She holed up in a knoll down by a little creek, a spot that's become popular with others since then. IIRC this was all during 2017.
I don't know who put the FREE KAT FUD sign up, I've never had cats show up like this before but here they are.
Over the winter we discovered that Pretty Girl didn't tolerate the cold as well as the others. She was either a put-out or a runaway, we figured. So we brought her into a big cage in the garage for a few days, she was fine so we brought her in. All the indoor cats adapted.
Then as we were in the process of TNR, even though we'd gotten the kittens one of them was still hotly pursued by White Dot and Taurus who I believe we hadn't grabbed yet. Inky was ALWAYS in a tree. So I trapped her and we kept her in a cage in the garage for a few days. She was the friendliest of the wild bunch from Pots, she didn't hiss at us like the others. Her sibs being TJ and Curly. We talked about bringing her in.
So Inky came in and then there were four. And we're pretty much a two-cat household. Or were. The cats got along OK, Molly adopted Inky and became her surrogate mom, they slept together and were best buds. Sweet.
Some time later a pair of brothers from Cat Lady across the street started coming by for chow. They were very civilized and affectionate. Very nice, sweet cats. Then Cat Lady had to move and she asked if we could care for the brothers, Panther and BoP, and we said sure. The more the merrier.
So there we have it. WE have five outdoor and three indoor cats now.
I've never had this happen before. An occasional stray, but not a collection. As I've noted elsewhere in the Losses thread, TJ and BoP passed on in 2020, sadly. They were both great kitties and VERY bonded with their sibs, Curly and Panther, respectively. It was a huge loss for Curly and Panther.
So, beware if you love cats. You may end up with a pride of little lions some day. NO idea how this happened, but it did. And so go...the days of our lives.
One hot summer day about 3 years ago, I noticed a big tabby cat under my car and said hi to him. That was enough that he ran right over, meowing and rubbing on me and I pet and scratched him and fed him, but didn't take him in. He was male, unaltered, and I had two indoor females. Last winter, he came for one of his rare visits and brought along my now third cat for a meal. He went off to whatever he goes off to in between his rare visits, but the little friend moved himself in. Then out. Then back in.
So what I'm telling you is that he had a hungry friend and showed him where to get a meal. The rest, as you say....
I moved here late 2015. I had 11 of my original 13 with me. Over the next 4yrs I "adopted" a few more. Four were here when I moved. Sister kept 2 and I kept 2. Saw a poster in post office one day, claim this cat from shelter, by that day's date, or.....
I went to shelter she had already been claimed.
Saw a calico kit hanging upside down in her kennel hollering bloody blue murder. Ok, Cali. While signing papers a fellow came to drop of tiny male grey long haired kitten. Ali.
Over the years I've lost most of the first gang. Probably losing my food lion cat next week due to age, 17.
I've become Mom to blue-eyed off-white cats. Six. 4 were little kits. Two tigers showed up around the coldest part of past winter. They show up faithfully twice a day to eat.
There are 3 left of the originals. Charlie, 17, Pacman and Jem brothers, 12.
All total I'm caretaker, counting the 2 tigers, to 20 cats.
With the exception of the tigers I have "fixed" everyone else.
Only 3 live in the house full time. The rest are porch cats except for harsh winter, then I have a room full of kennels for nights.
Cats are locked on porch at dusk and let out at daylight.
No more. I've spent most of my life taking in the strays that folks drop off. Somebody else needs to take over for this neighborhood. Lol yeah right.
One hot summer day about 3 years ago, I noticed a big tabby cat under my car and said hi to him. That was enough that he ran right over, meowing and rubbing on me and I pet and scratched him and fed him, but didn't take him in. He was male, unaltered, and I had two indoor females. Last winter, he came for one of his rare visits and brought along my now third cat for a meal. He went off to whatever he goes off to in between his rare visits, but the little friend moved himself in. Then out. Then back in.
So what I'm telling you is that he had a hungry friend and showed him where to get a meal. The rest, as you say....
Ha! Cats must talk a lot among themselves. Or they're psychic. Or all of the above. Great story, funny how our kitties find us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thatdurncat13
I moved here late 2015. I had 11 of my original 13 with me. Over the next 4yrs I "adopted" a few more. Four were here when I moved. Sister kept 2 and I kept 2. Saw a poster in post office one day, claim this cat from shelter, by that day's date, or.....
I went to shelter she had already been claimed.
Saw a calico kit hanging upside down in her kennel hollering bloody blue murder. Ok, Cali. While signing papers a fellow came to drop of tiny male grey long haired kitten. Ali.
Over the years I've lost most of the first gang. Probably losing my food lion cat next week due to age, 17.
I've become Mom to blue-eyed off-white cats. Six. 4 were little kits. Two tigers showed up around the coldest part of past winter. They show up faithfully twice a day to eat.
There are 3 left of the originals. Charlie, 17, Pacman and Jem brothers, 12.
All total I'm caretaker, counting the 2 tigers, to 20 cats.
With the exception of the tigers I have "fixed" everyone else.
Only 3 live in the house full time. The rest are porch cats except for harsh winter, then I have a room full of kennels for nights.
Cats are locked on porch at dusk and let out at daylight.
No more. I've spent most of my life taking in the strays that folks drop off. Somebody else needs to take over for this neighborhood. Lol yeah right.
Yeah, right indeed. It's not easy to alter our nature. So I think you'll have lots of feline companions for the foreseeable future. 20 CATS. That is quite a haul, quite a little big family to keep nurtured.
I'm already overscheduled for lap time, I don't know how you manage that for your 20. And quite the mix.
Someone has to do it and you were chosen. Congratulations and bless you and good karma to you for caring for all those sweet furry cat critters.
One thing that's giving me fits is how to work out my will and estate plan to ensure all our babies are properly cared for. Although Plan A is my promise to outlive them all.
Like the bumper sticker says, who saved who? Meow.
I don't understand how anyone has so many cats living in peace. I have three and no two of them actually like each other.
The Two Amigos, White Dot and Taurus, will regularly engage in what appears to be play boxing such as we did as youngsters. One minute they'll be rubbing heads together and licking each others' heads, the next minute one will back off, raise his arm up, get a hiss look and start bapping the other. Baps being returned. It looks like true hostility but it's apparently something they do, they do it every day several times a day. They'll try it on Panther but he's not into the game and will swat seriously which they apparently understand to mean "back off." Which they do.
They'll also do that to Pots, the matriarch who got this whole gig started. She runs off, she's very sketchy at times and is not a fighter. But overall it's lick each other's heads and ears time, and generally pal around day and night.
There's only about 4 that have cattitudes at times. Sox and Rusty get head to head looking like the exorcist but when they eat they are buddies. Go figure. Rusty was one that was here, Sox, I found huddled on porch with his back leg ripped open. Something tried to tear the leg off. Vet stitched him up and he walks a little funny.
Snickers, dear sweet Snickers. Monster in a white fur coat. She's the first off white, blue eyed cat I found. Almost two years ago, vet said she was 8wks old. All alone wandering on the property. She doesn't like anybody and growls and swats them when they walk by.
Poppy, the last blue eyed, off white cat I got. Eyes were so infected and swollen I don't know how he survived. He couldn't see but a tiny bit out of one eye. He's on the porch at night in a kennel. He's starting to act like he owns the property. Can't have that. Daytime he's out and I keep check on him. My 3 fulltime insiders, and I bring the 4 kits inside at night, are enough in the house. And Snickers is in til morning.
I would love to find good homes for some of these guys and gals. I just don't trust anyone. I've asked the vet but like she says, that's the hard part. There are about 6 more cats/ kits I see running around. Hope they'll be ok because I can't do any more.
Ugh, Snickers is watching Frankie trying to turn the doorknob to go out. Another fun day at the cat asylum.
The cat asylum, that's just how I feel some days trying to keep the peace. Except I'm the one that ends up needing to be in an asylum!
Ours all get along quite well. I have a separate thread to run about River, but today the Insiders are pretty much at peace. The Outsiders too. The three guys do guy stuff, usually at meal time. But no yowling, no howling, no arched backs.
We've had ONE cat who made boocoo more noise yowling for dinner than all eight of these sweet babies.
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