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I've gone out there a few times and found a cat in the walnut tree. They're good climbers and there are a few different trees they can climb.
We live in town, so coyotes are unlikely. We're more likely to get armadillos, possums, raccoons (though I haven't seen any raccoons around here). Stray dogs come around occasionally, but they're not common. There are a couple of neighborhood dogs. One is a dachshund mix and the other is a small beagle. The neighbors have large dogs, but they don't get out often. I've met these dogs and I don't think they are dangerous. Annoying, but not likely to be dangerous. Still, the only predator I'm that worried about are cars, and these cats are pretty smart I think, moreso than the two that got hit. I see them on the front porch a lot and they have a box on the front porch. They were sleeping under the house, but my dad didn't like them under there because of what they could get into. They can get under the shed, though. As far as trees, they can climb well and the tree is only about four feet from the porch.
I would feel safer with Tilly (Matilda) being inside, but she doesn't want that and I don't want to force her to stay in a place that she is not happy. That said, I think she's pretty good about staying out of the road. Although they likely will wander more in the spring.
I hope they're not a nuisance to the neighbors, but there are other cats that run around here (including the yellow neighborhood tom and a Siamese I saw the other day) and nobody seems to complain that much. The other day my neighbors' dogs were howling (they sounded like wolves) at 3 AM, so they're pretty good about not throwing stones. I've never really had any complaints about the cats. They probably will kill a few birds and moles and rabbits, but I can't stop that. Even in the summer and fall I didn't see the cats roaming around all that much. So I'm not too worried about the neighbors. I don't want the cats to be a nuisance, but I don't think they will be all that bad, especially with just three of them.
Speaking of which I just heard a tussle going on outside. Apparently the yellow tom wanted some food (he has a home) and momma cat did not want him to have any. Neither appear to be hurt. There's just some growling going on.
I hope these cats manage to avoid the cars and live a long time with you. There are cats like my neighbor's that do survive for years outside. Since it's getting more built up out here I haven't seen a coyote or heard a bob cat in years. We still have all the other wildlife though. Last night there was a large raccoon on the front porch again. They go after the suet cakes for the wild birds.
After I got back from church I noticed her laying down and not moving much. I tried to get near her and she ran. She ran under the shed. After a while she came out to eat and I noticed that she would not put much pressure on her front left paw. She held it up all the time.
She won't let me near to examine her. She's not very active. I imagine she's not feeling well. The good thing is that she did eat and I didn't see any bones sticking out or any blood. She was okay yesterday, so it must have happened overnight.
Hopefully she is just sore and not seriously hurt. I couldn't get close enough to tell. Like most injured animals she wouldn't let me get close enough to actually look at her.
I'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers on this. Hopefully everything will be alright.
I just checked outside and she was eating. She let me pet her and she was rubbing on me and purring. She seems to be feeling better. She shied away from me touching her leg, but I did touch it a little bit. No bones seemed out of place and I couldn't find any rocks on the bottom of her foot. She's certainly acting better than before. Hopefully everything will be alright. She was eating. Maybe she's just sore. She didn't seem to be as sensitive this time.
She's acting a lot better. She still occasionally holds that foot up and she limps just a tiny bit. That said, she's acting like normal. I can't find anything in particular that is wrong with her. Whatever it is doesn't seem to bother her very much.
Tilly and her brother (which are the two that I have) are roughly a year old today!
The Tabby Male (Tilly's brother) is getting more and more tame. I can pick him up, though he squirms a lot. He's still not all that fond of it. One day he was on the sidewalk, laying on his back. and I rubbed his belly. He gave me the stink eye and then he got to his feet. So he's still not all that comfortable with me, not as much as the inside cats. Tilly is pretty comfortable with me. Momma used to like her back rubbed. Now, whenever I rub it, she starts yelling and moves away. I'm not sure if it hurts her, or if she loves it too much. All three are very much attached to me, but a bit leery of other people. The tabby is the worst of the three in that department. Momma cat will not tolerate being held, even by me.
Anyway, all is well here. They're eating right now.
Last edited by STLCardsBlues1989; 03-17-2011 at 05:03 PM..
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