The daily offerings of food have prompted the strays to come through our yard on a regular basis - at least the girls do. We haven't seen Brother in more than a week - I think. A few days back the Norwegian Forest Cat was in our neighbor's yard along with the girls.
Artie put out food but he retreated to the farthest end of that yard, settled himself down in a reclining position to watch the proceedings without availing himself of a meal. The refusal marks two ocassions in the past week we were not able to get him to eat. I suspect he will be the hardest one to persuade to the dinner table.
At least the girls show up like clockwork every day looking for their handout. Both are very thin now which means there is a batch of newborns somewhere nearby or there is yet another cat that looks like Mommy, pregnant and somewhere in the area.
Yesterday, the second girl showed up first. She is really timid and is generally bullied by her sister. If she tries to get her share of a meal her sister swipes at her. She will shrinkingly back off to sit patiently and wait for her sibling to finish. Ever so cautiously she came into the yard only to shy away if I moved too quickly. Once the food was down, she watched me until I was on the porch. Deeming it safe to commence eating, she proceeded to "chow down" once I closed the porch gate.
While she was having her meal, I managed to get a decent picture of her. She looks like her sister with the exception of darker coloring. As of this posting, I have yet to see Brother.
The next TNR class conveniently located for me is scheduled for September 5th in midtown Manhattan. There is the 8 lesson online course but I would much prefer the human interaction to sitting in front of my computer so I keep telling myself it's just four weeks away. The time will pass quickly. Then I will be able to trap them before winter sets in. Once there is no longer a concern about offspring, I can focus on not only feeding them and supplying fresh water but concentrate on shelter from the cold.
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| Slightly darker coloring than her sister; otherwise they look exactly alike. |
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| A decent meal before my sister shows up! |
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