10-30-2020, 10:08 AM
The cats are aligning themselves into different packs. The old pack, the ones here when we go here, mostly show up at feeding. They are mostly feral, but are getting more used to us. I have hope they will be socialized. Ramses is the most feral. He darts when he sees us. But I can sneak in some petting if he busy eating food. He is still deciding whether he wants to be around us. Ishtar is in the middle. You can pet, but it's work to get to him. Chicken is his current weakness. He tends to hit your empty hand to show he expected chicken. Finally, there is Anubis. Anubis is still twitchy, but wants to be petted. And I can pick him up. He is looking to break from the elder Ferals and find a new group.
Mama and Fergus, the LA Cats, hang out in the garage. They get fed in there. They sleep in there. They tolerate the other members. Fergus of late has been sort of intermingling with them. But he still has issues with the older Feral cats.
Finchen and Finoula, who are brother and sister, will hang out with anyone. If everyone is sleeping on the chairs on the deck, they are with them. If they spot us going for a walk they will occasionally join us. They are very easy going.
Faini is the loner. I'm her pack. She does the two and three miles walks with the dogs and I in the morning. She doesn't show up all that much for the feeding sessions.
Then there is the second to last set of kittens. I refer to them as the three stooges and Cordelia. The three stooges are very affectionate towards the Queen and I, probably because we bottle fed them for several weeks. They are all boys. Cordelia, Faini's remaining kitten, hangs out with them because she was born only a week after them. She does hang out with her mom and does like to be with me on walks. The stooges are also first choice for the Queen when it comes to nap time, especially Bob, choice number 1 for indoor sleeping companion.
Then there is Fourteen. She/He is the only kitten from Mia's litter. Mia is also a loner. She spends a lot of time under the tree outside the kitchen window. On the feral scale, she's just below Anubis. But fourteen is still trying to find his/her place. He has really joined one of the packs either. He spends time with the stooges, particularly Bob. He/She likes to fight with the older feral cats. He/She is still trying to decide if he wants to like us or not.
So, the walks. We do two walks a day. I take the dogs on long walks in the morning. the Queen and I do shorter walks in the afternoon, depending on the whims of Maeve. Although that is also true in the morning. If Maeve wants to stop at the end of the court, we stop at the end of the court. She just doesn't have as much energy as she used to have. It shows on the walks. Although she has been managing to spend the night barking.
The cats have noticed us on these walks and have started to join us to varying degrees of success. Faini is the best. Like I said, she will go with the dogs and I all the to the bottom of the next street over. This occurs when we have been unsuccessful in locking her up at night.
The afternoon walks draw a bigger crowd, depending on who sees us leaving the house. The afternoon walks take us into the small canyon at the back of the house on our property for about 1/2 a mile. The whole loop is a mile and some of it takes place on Misty Ridge Rd. As we leave in the afternoon, Cordelia usually waits for us now by the front door. By the time we get past the garden, other cats will have joined us. Usually Finchen or Finoula. Some days the three stooges. Faini will come if she isn't lost in the fields at the front of the house. If she is not with us at the start of the walk, there are plenty of times she will meet us at the gate of the neighbor's property. She knows better than to have to climb the hill to get there.
The stooges are bad at the walk. After we leave the footpath and hit Misty Ridge Road, the stooges get distracted . They chase the birds or strange things in the fields on either side of the road. It takes them hours to return to the house. Cordelia always stay with us. Finchen and Finoula usually stay with us.
The older Feral Cats, Mia, and the LA cats never join with us. They have better things to do.
Until today. I was doing some extra walking because Maeve decided she didn't want to go anywhere. I waited until it was lighter because I take the footpath behind the house and it would be a tad treacherous in the dark. I thought i would be solo, but then Cordelia popped up. She was quickly joined by the stooges. By the time I got to the Serenity Space, I had six cats trailing behind me on the path. It looked like the cats might have found other interests because I was alone on the steep grade down to Misty Ridge. But then they all popped up behind me, Cordelia being first to make an appearance.
I recognized the stooges but it was hard to see which one of the cats was the sixth in our party. Turns out, much to my surprise, that Anubis decided to join. Shocker actually. But he was with us. Let me pick him. Stayed with me for the entire journey.
Maybe Anubis is finding his new pack.
Mama and Fergus, the LA Cats, hang out in the garage. They get fed in there. They sleep in there. They tolerate the other members. Fergus of late has been sort of intermingling with them. But he still has issues with the older Feral cats.
Finchen and Finoula, who are brother and sister, will hang out with anyone. If everyone is sleeping on the chairs on the deck, they are with them. If they spot us going for a walk they will occasionally join us. They are very easy going.
Faini is the loner. I'm her pack. She does the two and three miles walks with the dogs and I in the morning. She doesn't show up all that much for the feeding sessions.
Then there is the second to last set of kittens. I refer to them as the three stooges and Cordelia. The three stooges are very affectionate towards the Queen and I, probably because we bottle fed them for several weeks. They are all boys. Cordelia, Faini's remaining kitten, hangs out with them because she was born only a week after them. She does hang out with her mom and does like to be with me on walks. The stooges are also first choice for the Queen when it comes to nap time, especially Bob, choice number 1 for indoor sleeping companion.
Then there is Fourteen. She/He is the only kitten from Mia's litter. Mia is also a loner. She spends a lot of time under the tree outside the kitchen window. On the feral scale, she's just below Anubis. But fourteen is still trying to find his/her place. He has really joined one of the packs either. He spends time with the stooges, particularly Bob. He/She likes to fight with the older feral cats. He/She is still trying to decide if he wants to like us or not.
So, the walks. We do two walks a day. I take the dogs on long walks in the morning. the Queen and I do shorter walks in the afternoon, depending on the whims of Maeve. Although that is also true in the morning. If Maeve wants to stop at the end of the court, we stop at the end of the court. She just doesn't have as much energy as she used to have. It shows on the walks. Although she has been managing to spend the night barking.
The cats have noticed us on these walks and have started to join us to varying degrees of success. Faini is the best. Like I said, she will go with the dogs and I all the to the bottom of the next street over. This occurs when we have been unsuccessful in locking her up at night.
The afternoon walks draw a bigger crowd, depending on who sees us leaving the house. The afternoon walks take us into the small canyon at the back of the house on our property for about 1/2 a mile. The whole loop is a mile and some of it takes place on Misty Ridge Rd. As we leave in the afternoon, Cordelia usually waits for us now by the front door. By the time we get past the garden, other cats will have joined us. Usually Finchen or Finoula. Some days the three stooges. Faini will come if she isn't lost in the fields at the front of the house. If she is not with us at the start of the walk, there are plenty of times she will meet us at the gate of the neighbor's property. She knows better than to have to climb the hill to get there.
The stooges are bad at the walk. After we leave the footpath and hit Misty Ridge Road, the stooges get distracted . They chase the birds or strange things in the fields on either side of the road. It takes them hours to return to the house. Cordelia always stay with us. Finchen and Finoula usually stay with us.
The older Feral Cats, Mia, and the LA cats never join with us. They have better things to do.
Until today. I was doing some extra walking because Maeve decided she didn't want to go anywhere. I waited until it was lighter because I take the footpath behind the house and it would be a tad treacherous in the dark. I thought i would be solo, but then Cordelia popped up. She was quickly joined by the stooges. By the time I got to the Serenity Space, I had six cats trailing behind me on the path. It looked like the cats might have found other interests because I was alone on the steep grade down to Misty Ridge. But then they all popped up behind me, Cordelia being first to make an appearance.
I recognized the stooges but it was hard to see which one of the cats was the sixth in our party. Turns out, much to my surprise, that Anubis decided to join. Shocker actually. But he was with us. Let me pick him. Stayed with me for the entire journey.
Maybe Anubis is finding his new pack.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm