Saturday, May 3, 2014

Guess Who Has Appeared?

 

May 2 Feral Cat

Spotted on our evening stroll yesterday evening, Cat being “invisible”

Can’t recall if I mentioned it here, but I was concerned and saddened that I had not seen the feral cat yet this year.  This cat has been here – and who knows where else – since we have, and that is three-plus years now. 

Cat is rather skittish, definitely not just a neighbor’s pet.  Tame cats typically will come up and make friends, but not Cat.  Cat and I seem to have come to somewhat of an understanding.  If Cat happens to be lounging in the grass near the road as I walk by, he (I think Cat is male) will remain in place, albeit doing his best to be “invisible” and watching me.  He even tolerates my talking to him as I walk by.  That is progress; in early days, Cat would go scampering away.  Cat typically makes daily rounds here, hanging out on the property quite a bit.

From the get, I purposely did not try to feed, catch or tame Cat, thinking it would be unfair to do so and then our assignment would end and . . . well, sharing our life with a kitty just isn’t practical.  I did not want Cat to become dependent on us and then we would have to leave.

Cat seems to be healthy and reasonably well-groomed for a feral, but certainly does not have that “kept cat” look of being routinely cared for, and I’ve never seen him injured.  He certainly must be hardy to endure year after year in these conditions.

Perhaps Cat really is a member of someone’s family and just prowls.  Perhaps someone around here provides food and shelter of some sort.  Obviously Cat found shelter during this harsh Winter and was fed.  He was in my thoughts throughout all those snowy, cold days and nights.  Yesterday was the first time I had seen Cat in 2014, and it gladdened my heart to spot him in one of his usual lounging places.

I saw Cat again this morning making his rounds along the fence line in our “front yard.”  He spotted me at a distance, we looked at one another, and he continued his patrol.

All is right in the Universe.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

2 comments:

  1. Very sweet and wise your concern for and decisions about how to interact with this kitty. It is wonderful that s/he had somewhere to be during the hard winter and is now back prowling the tall grass.

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  2. Good story. Glad Cat survived.

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