This badly blurred photograph is nonetheless interesting to me. These are some of the feral cats who are fed behind my work-place. I caught them all in various neutering/spaying operations over the years.
The four on the table are regulars, who show up almost every morning and afternoon for meals. On the far left is either Nocturne or Philo - both are black with a tuft of white on the chest, just like Hector; that pattern is why identifying lost black cats is so difficult. Nocturne is one of four kittens - offspring of Bauble - who were caught in early 2021 during Operation Mini-Raffles; Philo is a year or so older, caught in October, 2019. I know both are alive and well because I’ve seen them together some mornings. Next to Nocturne/Philo is Bauble herself (October, 2020). Behind and to the right of Bauble are Shasta and Fresca (summer of 2020), brothers, but not related to Bauble. They are almost identical except for a black dot on one of their noses, and I can’t really tell them apart most days.
But what is interesting about the picture is in the background. That is Sonata, another of Bauble’s kittens. I haven’t seen her in years. She is distinguished from her equally tortoiseshell sister, Serenade, by a pale patch on her chest. I am sure she’s been around all this time, though she hasn’t shown herself to me.
Though I haven’t seen Serenade - or the fourth of Bauble’s young, Scherzo - in some time, it is pleasing to see that little Sonata, very shy and rather small, is still a going concern. It saddens me, though, that her survival was and is an open question. Most of the feral colony could be socialised, I believe, as they have grown accustomed to humans over the years. There is just no one willing to take them in.
Socilaising feral cats is a project, of course, and many ferals will never come around to trusting humans, never mind tolerating living with them. I suspect that my outsider-cat, Sable, is in that category. But if all the people who expressed a desire to see them in homes accepted one, the problem of homeless felines would be greatly alleviated.
However, it was a small gift to see Sonata this morning. To know that she has been doing reasonably well all this time - and not adding to the outsider-cat population - is encouraging, and we can all use such incitement in our lives. Maybe Sonata herself thinks that having breakfast and dinner provided each day is just as encouraging in her rather harder life.
"There is just no one willing to take them in." Or able to. I was just reading a news article about how in many areas, the shelters are being overwhelmed because caring for pets has become so expensive.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad to see these cats live such a dangerous life on the streets, but having a reliable food supply makes a huge difference. I hope that enables them to get some measure of happiness from life.
It's true that expense figures into it. It's bad enough when the cost keeps people from taking in pets whom they would love, but it is also a factor in many surrendering their pets. It's getting tougher to pay for the ferals' food, too.
DeleteI have thought of that. Each can of wet food is a dollar now. I won't buy the lesser brands and they aren't that much cheaper. I just paid 32 $ for Katie's bag of dry Science Diet. Whoa!
DeleteHaving seen your posts about TNR these feral cats, it is good news to see they still live in the same area and still get fed as well as can be. A treat for you to see Sonata.
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice to meet the ferals you and your co-workers have been caring for. God bless you for providing for them. As you and Undine noted, it's so sad that these days many folks just can't afford to keep a pet, even if they want one.
ReplyDeleteTNR works!
ReplyDeleteThis batch isn't making kittens, and that's the bestest thing.
But the true bestest thing EVER, is when a feral/community cat decides that you are worth rubbing against or get pats from.
Yes I can attest to the expense of feeding my tame outdoor cats. I have seven mouths to feed and I wonder how long I can continue, but I will find a way. It's hard enough that they are outdoors, feeding them seems the least I can do....sigh.
ReplyDeleteAre there any pet-supply shops near by that might donate their older food?
DeleteCheck with your local animal shelters. Many of them have food pantries and you can pick up pet food at no cost.
DeleteThat was a nice surprise for you to see Sonata and that she is doing as well as can be expected. Nice to see the others too.
ReplyDeleteI wish they could all be in homes. I do have 4 ferals in our home. They get along fine with my 9 other cats, but will not let us touch them. I think they are happy and feel safe though.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to see that sweetie. Our ferals (11 of them) don't really run from me when I take them food, but if I try to approach them they will split in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo, and we love that Sonata showed up again. XO
ReplyDeleteIt is always nice when a cat shows up again.
ReplyDeleteIt's good she knows where to go to get food.
Food is a great kitty magnet...and so helpful to their well being as ferals.
ReplyDeletePet food seems to be even costlier than the human's noms. At least it seems so to me. One bag of the food I get for our pups is about $80, US, and the cat variety is even about the same. I do see peeps sometimes with two kinds of food for pets in their carts, I think they feed the less expensive to their ferals/barn kitties and the more expensive to their indoor pets. I once saw a man buy a huge bag of kitty food, so I asked him if he had a lot of cats to feed, and he said, no, I have none of my own, but this is for the outsiders. What a kind man.
The hard-food fed to the ferals sometimes comes from reduced-cost stock, as it is near the expiry date, though, as the food banks say, 'best before doesn't mean bad after'. It's the tinned food that's more expensive. I mix it with the dry, which becomes a kind of Hamburger Helper for cat-food.
DeleteIt's good to see the group and know that they are doing reasonably well in their outdoor life. I do wish, like you, that someone would/could take them in so that they could live a good long life. Thanks to you, at least they have a shot at the latter.
ReplyDelete