It's been awhile since I've written about my outdoor cats. I'm thankful for the unseasonably warm weather we're having; I know my cats are doing OK with what I hope will prove to be a milder than anticipated winter.
Slowly I've been adjusting the time I put food out to get everyone fed while there is still sunlight. The little black cat, the kitten and the one who looks like Buddy have been showing up as early as 4:20 PM. One development that I'm very pleased with is the kitten has taken up permanent residence in the winter shelter. How do I know this? Occasionally I lift the shelter ever so slightly to see if it feels heavy. Lately, it does; when I did that today, I also felt movement inside. I stepped back in time to see a little face peering out the front door. It was the kitten. I decided to put some food out and the kitten came out for a meal.
Along with everyone showing up for meals on a regular basis, I have had as many as 3 possums showing up during the late evening when the neighborhood is quiet with no activity. That happens after 9 PM mostly since this section of Brooklyn has more than its share of hustle and bustle.
The earlier feeding and picking up the unfinished food has corrected the problem. I don't have an issue with possums - the City brought them in to cope with the vermin problem not to consume the cat food I'm putting out for my cats. My charges will have to learn that dinner will be served at a new hour and removed by a certain time. If they want to eat they have to show up within that time-frame.
If there's anything I've learned, cats are smart and they will adapt quickly to the new routine. A few of them have to overcome their fear of noise and activity. Brother shows up later as does the other black cat. Silver Grey and Charcoal Grey show up when they show up - sometimes earlier in the day, sometimes later.
How wonderful that you've adopted them! Are they still feral if you train them to feed at specific times? ;p
ReplyDeleteFeral kittens can be socialized; it takes more effort as they get older. Training a colony to show up at a certain time for food doesn't change their status as ferals.
ReplyDeleteAre you sticking your tongue out, blowing raspberries or yelling at me re your ;p?
*laugh* As far as I know, that's just a smiley with character! My boyfriend's mom feeds feral cats. They're mostly all fully grown. She's attempting to teach one to use a litter box now. To no avail. :(
ReplyDeletefrom your comment, my guess is our cat isn't feral but lived with people before. Apart from using some rags to urinate on the first 2 days he was in, he hasn't had any issues with using the litter box once we lined it with newspapers. Currently we're transitioning over to a pine-based litter. We tried a clay litter first but we couldn't stand the dust it made.
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