My Toby

This is one of the few pieces of brand new furniture I've ever purchased.
I got it from Haverty's, and I am very proud of it. And Toby knew that....

When he wanted to be fed in the early morning, he would go through a series of steps designed to get me up and going. But his final step? Standing on the nightstand, stretching out full length,
he'd claw the corner.

He knew purrfectly well that would get me up in a hurry! 

This was the only piece of furniture I ever got mad about either of them messing up.
When living with cats, we just accept the reality of less than pristine home furnishings.

I always planned to have this corner fixed by a professional.
Now, it's just a small memorial to my beloved, occasionally super aggravating orange boy.

I saw this super dignified, retired Golden this morning at the Publix parking lot.

These dogs tend to age so well.

Squirrels and Snakes Oh My!

My city, Tallahassee, was carved out of a forest. And animals live in that forest.
And sometimes... humans and animals come into contact with each other. 

I suspect both sides are routinely horrifed by this.

My workplace backs up to a big forest. And the building's weak entry points has allowed for squirrels to get in the ceiling. Right above my office. On Tuesday I could hear them scrabbling up there ALL DAY LONG. Wednesday and today, they frequently made noise too. And I know they are up there chewing on wires, among other things.

Their prescence no doubt explains why on Monday, coming back from the other large building we have, I saw a big black snake doing its bessssst to get through the glass office door. It was literally crawling up it. Guys, this was seriously freaky!!

I couldn't imagine why it was trying so hard to get in. Now I know.
Squirrels, after all, are just cute tree rats. 

I don't know what kind of snake it was. It could have been venomous;
we do have water moccasins and rattlers here. 

The joys of nature. 

Happy Friday.

Progress!

I put out the food before I leave for work. This morning I was standing on the front porch, rattling the food and calling out.

It's also mostly dark now; suddenly there's a meow at my feet and there she is! I make her work just a bit though, talking to her. SHE RUBS UP AGAINST MY LEG! Still meowing. And I get to give her a real petting too. It's clear she likes the attention but isn't entirely sure about it.

We go to the back patio so she can have breakfast. So we're definitely making progress here.

Easy Sunday

It's quite nice out there, not too hot, sunny, blue skies. I am enjoying this while it lasts, 

before the heat sets in.

Random stuff:

1.  Jenny the Garden Cat continues to be ridiculously photogenic. She even has admirers visiting her in the garden, and sending her gifts! Exactly as it should be.

2. I saw Shae today, when she dropped by for lunch. She's looking good actually, the fur is growing back. So it looks like it was mostly a spring thing, maybe fleas and/or pollen. I wish I could get her a good flea preventive in pill form but that requires a vet visit. You'd think they could have different rules for ferals. I'm planning on building a drop trap, which apparently is the only real way to capture a reluctant kitteh.

Speaking of ridiculously photogenic...

My beautiful Leia. This was from our townhome in NC.

She spent quite a bit of time guarding the stairs for some reason.

The Cats Are Smarter Than I Am

.... which will be a surprise to no one who knows cats. I was horribly unsuccessful in trapping my guys, and the rescue is coming by this evening to retrieve their traps. Others are waiting to use them. The first day I put out a trap, it was sprung twice, but without a feline on the inside. My real problem is these guys just aren't that hungry; they come by to graze. I know for a fact they are fed at at least one other house. 

Since both are tipped, the urgency is lacking but sadly so is a lot of fur, so I wish I could have gotten them. I can only hope it's just a spring thing and the fur returns. 

In other news....

I found Jenny the Garden Cat on Facebook recently, and I am completely smitten with this kitten.

She looks a bit like my Leia, and seems to have a gentle, sweet purrsonality. She was born in or near this garden, and returned recently to see if there was an opening for Garden Cat.. and there was! Jenny interviewed the humans there and found them to be acceptable staff. 

This is actually a weather garden for a TV station, and it's beautiful. I wish so much I had something like this; I'm not jealous of people who have luxury cars or big houses with every amenity known to mankind, but I get very wistful over gorgeous outdoor space.  

Sunday, Sunday

And Now, We Wait

The other patio also has a trap, with food, just waiting.. waiting... waiting...

I went out for a short while and came back to see SOMEONE had been playing in the refilled water bowl, but had not yet decided to partake of the gravy soft food.

Smart, but not in her or his best interest, but when have cats ever cooperated with going to to the vet?

This is my first experience with rescue groups and trapping cats.
I do have some good news though - looks like Shae does indeed have a tipped ear.

BARELY.

I showed the pics to the wonderful lady from the rescue group and we concurred, this is a tipped ear. Next time vet people, PLEASE make it a little more obvious. Not Shae lost half an ear, so there is no question about him.

So why the vet visit? First, rabies shots! Very important. I was told that's the first thing they do after sedation. Hopefully it's the three year shot, I can't imagine they'd do the one year for ferals.

Also, missing fur patches. I noticed it a week or so ago, especially on Not Shae but now she is missing fur too. Ringworm? Mange? Fleas? Allergies, pollen??
Those with experience of outdoor cats, feel free to weigh in.
All I know is from indoor, tame (grading on a curve here) felines.

I am so very open to suggestions to help the cats get in the cages. Probably not much to do but wait. Here is the kick though - these are not starving cats. They like my food but I've watched them several times. They both graze, and do not inhale that food like it's been three days. I know there is or was a house up the street that also feeds them, and I suspect they are very good hunters on their own.

And now, a huge THANK YOU to the awesomeness that is Chewy. I asked them about traps; they didn't carry them but sent out food. A lot of food. So much that I gave the 22 lb bag of Friskies to the rescue lady for their use. I still have the 16 lb bag of Meow Mix, the eight boxes of Wellness Gravy Food (64 packets) and the 24 cans of other food to use. I was also afraid that the big bag would go bad before I could use it all. 

So please now join paws with me in hopefulness as I wait to get these guys the help they need.

Always and Furever

I can't say I'm doing well. I have accepted their loss but can't quite deal with how they just aren't here anymore.

Sometimes I lay in bed before sleep and remember how it was. What they would do, how it would sound. 

I told my sister I was having an especially hard week, so last night we went to dinner and shopped. That was fun. 

And now for something cute. I found this on Facebook; I'm sorry I don't know who to give credit to, but wow you're talented. 

Shae, Part Trois

This morning I went back there to replenish the buffet. I made a rather nice little house for them, with a piece of foam insulation board cut to fit (that took ages to do) and a lot of straw. Shae was in it, sound asleep. I saw her curled up.

Of course she woke up, saw me, came out and gave me a small hiss. Not the kind that says, I want to disembowel you, just a complaint of being woken. But also, I came bearing food, so I was forgiven.

When she came out, slowly, after the hiss she stretched, butt high. Straw bits on her head, it was so cute. The last time she was in the house and saw me, she shot ten feet away. Today, she was ok with me standing there watching her eat for a few seconds.

And now for the dreaded words: I think she's pregnant. Her belly sure looks that way.

The Saga of Shae

... and, well, Not Shae too. Both cats know the feeding schedule - when I leave for work, I put out food and water on the back patio. Often now there is one cat waiting for me.

Tonight, BOTH cats popped up. Meowing. How is that cats not even mine are demanding food from me, I'd like to know?? Plus, until now the food has been put out in the morning, not night. Frankly, I was concerned that they might become too dependent on a renter.

And also, tonight brought a much more significant development: I touched Shae. Really, my fingers grazed her fur, but she walked right up beside me while I was standing back from the food plate. I didn't even intend to try to touch her, but... here is a cat, here are my fingers. It just kind of happened. But that was all, I didn't try to grab her or really pet her, just a fur graze. Not planned but I think it was the right move. Cats must be allowed space, and autonomy. Based on their efforts to communicate with me, I'm starting to think these aren't true ferals, but cats abandoned.

So now there are all kinds of thoughts and emotions swirling in me. I didn't want this - I didn't want more cats, I certainly didn't want to be in the position of handling friendly ferals or long abandoned strays, of maybe rehabbing them into house cats. I KNOW they are both in need of a vet - vacines, no doubt packed to the ears with parasites of all kinds, and who knows what else needed. Not Shae is missing fur too, I saw today. Skin condition, fleas or fighting? I didn't see wounds but clumps are missing.

I know this is selfish of me; I'm not done grieving for my loved ones, and I don't have the resources, especially and including money, to take on two like this. We've always kept a very careful, remote distance, for over a year now. How is that now they are circling closer to me??? Did a neon sign go up and I didn't see it?