Mr Tom, my neighbor’s favorite cat that likes to hang out in our meadow and charm treats, has many friends. Lately he has brought round a short haired black cat. I was able to get a picture of the graceful feline, with one white whisker, and unclipped ears. Darn it. It is still to hot for trapping, but if I can befriend it, it may be easier to get it in to be neutered.
I’m pretty sure this is not a new denizen of the woods, but one that has been teasing me for a year.
Here is further evidence that Missy has feline genes amongst the canine DNA.
One of the commercial cat hammocks I had in the catio broke (it really wasn’t designed for outdoor use and degraded in the sunlight). I had what I thought was a brilliant idea to make a triangular hammock to fit a corner.
The old hammock was square and needed support for all four corners. A triangular hammock would only need three supports. I used a large washer and screw to attach the hammock to the wood, and originally had it flat. Here is where the physics part comes in. The fabric sags when weight is applied. The hypotenuse of the triangle sagged too much and made a slide rather than a hammock when the corners were all at the same height. It took some experimentation to get the corners at the right heights so a pouch formed to hold a cat comfortably. My cat was remarkably patient with me putting her in and out of the hammock.
In the end, the right angle corner needed to be much lower than the hypotenuse corners to keep the cat from falling out. We got there, but it wasn’t pretty.
Since I first saw the neighbor’s flame point I wanted to be friends (it has to be said I want to be friends with all cats, so). After getting him fixed, I was certainly persona non grata. My eldest befriended first, with the help of a few treats. Then I took the hint and gave some treats, then some surreptitious scratches. He now walks right in front of my feet demanding treats and scratches. So much so that it is hard to walk. Be careful what you wish for.
But he is such a pretty boy.
We originally put welded wire no climb fencing on the top of the chicken’s run to keep out hawks. It also works to keep out cats. Or as a platform for cat TV, depending on your perspective.
