Category: Cats

Reunited

On By CarynIn Cats

The feral long-haired calico cat stayed in isolation (a spare bedroom in the house) for over a week after her spay. She turned out to be advanced in a pregnancy when I took her in (hard to tell under that long fur). Since that is a risky operation with a high probably for complications, we kept her calm and resting afterwards. She ate, drank, and used the litter box, so I felt OK keeping her inside, especially since we had cold wet weather for that week. When the weather cleared we took her back to her territory. Getting her back in the cage was tricky, but my eldest, the cat whisper, managed it. The cat bolted from the cage into the woods, but within five minutes I saw her in the meadow reacquainting with her family, which includes Mr Tom, Shadow, a gray tabby that is one of her adult kittens, and a short-haired black female that have also been through the TNR process. I’m hoping this is my last trapping for awhile. The other cats seemed to have cleared out.

Cat reunion in the meadow

Intruder

On By CarynIn Cats, Wildlife
Izzy going for a nuthatch

The picture is terrible, but frankly I’m surprised I obtained any image at all. There was a nuthatch outside on the coop looking in the house, then a ruckus behind the curtain that caught the cat’s attention. I pulled back the curtain to see a second nuthatch in between the screen and the window on the inside. I snapped the picture just as the bird dove down into the cat’s claws. I pulled the cat off and the bird rocketed back out the hole in the screen, through the catio bars, and off to freedom. That was quite the excitement for one morning, thank you. I’m very thankful I didn’t have to chase the bird through the house. I’ve seen some insects come through the flap I sewed into the screen so the cats could access the catio, but never a bird!

Caught

On By CarynIn Cats

The calico that has eluded me for so long is finally trapped. I changed tactics, setting up a cage behind the coop, with a camera monitoring, and taking out treats once a day. Then on trapping day I set out the good tuna in the cage and … nada. No interest in tuna. So I retrieved the tuna, as she stared at me an meowed, and gave her what she wanted: Meow Mix. Really? Ok. It worked. She went into the cage as I watched the camera footage on my phone, I pulled the string holding the stick, and … snap. The line broke. The stick didn’t move. She didn’t even notice. What a charmed cat.

Video still of Calico in cage

I thought I had missed my window. I went around the coop, she saw me and ran off, and I retied the line to the stick holding up the cage door. Dejected, I went back to my hiding place, but not a minute later, she was in the cage again snacking on Meow Mix (this must be kitty crack for calicos, my inside cat loves it too, but I only use it as a treat, not the main meal.) This time the line held, the stick moved, and the door fell. She was not happy to be trapped, but I don’t blame her. Now she gets a trip to be spayed, then returned to her hunting ground. She probably won’t speak to me again, but I’ll still try to give her treats of Meow Mix.

Long haired calico in the trap

Find the cat

On By CarynIn Cats

Welcome to April 1st. Can you spot the cat in this picture?

Find the cat
Hint

That white spot in the sea of Spring green is Mr Tom, my neighbor’s cat. He is the least camouflaged cat of all time. This is him sleeping in the edge of the wood. Sometimes he sleeps a bit farther in, but he is still easy to spot. When the trees are Winter bare, there aren’t many places in the woods where he doesn’t stand out like a feline beacon.

I brushed him!

On By CarynIn Cats

I managed to get five brush strokes across the back of Mr Tom’s Shadow! He still isn’t impressed, but he moves away less each time. Mr Tom loves his brushes, more than treats even, and comes up to me to demand the burrs be removed and his chin be brushed. Shadow comes up to Mr Tom to give him head bumps as I am brushing. That is when I run the brush along his back toward his tail. He moves away, but then comes back to rub against Mr Tom, and subsequently gets another brush. Here is my proof of contact; the picture below shows both white and black hair from the brush.

Black and white cat hair from the brush
Mr Tom and his Shadow getting post brushing treats

The cage in the second picture is for the female who hangs around with Mr Tom and his Shadow. She will only come up after I am out of reach and not looking. She still needs to be fixed.