Training Feral Cats

…is similar to training house cats: next to impossible.

19Aug17

I think it’s been a couple of days since posting mainly because for two days straight feeding the cats has been uneventful. In fact that’s my fear that one day feedings will become so routine, there will be nothing to post except for – fed the cats today, fed the cats today, fed the cats today.

Even though Bag isn’t around when I perform my morning feeding duties (at first voluntary – now required), I saw him lying with Fluffy the other morning when my husband and I came back from an errand. It’s like he works overtime and doesn’t get home unti late. Fluffy may be an independent feline who can handle her own, but she wants Bag. Bag completes her. Bag doesn’t seem to care as much for Fluffy but keeps coming back to her.

This morning was a bit different. Four cats greeted me as I hit the bottom of the stairs. Mask who is full of piss and vinegar before she gets fed was all the way up on the first floor landing and swiped Loudmouth aka the Gentle Giant and Patch. Before I could feed the Gentle Giant he and Fluffy had to swipe at each other. After petting and feeding Loudmouth, I went over and fed Fluffy under the tree. Patch wanted Fluffy’s food and all I had to do was try and pet him and he jumped away. Fluffy bent over her bowl and started munching away. I stroked her forehead twice and she kind of liked it.

I fed Mask and Patch in their usual spots around the corner only to be greeting again by Loudmouth. He apparently doesn’t like the new brand of cat food I’m using. There’s two bags of it, so it will be awhile before I can go back to the other cheaper brand. I tried to coax Loudmouth to eat his breakfast, when Patch came back. It looks like he doesn’t care for this brand too much either. 

Anyway a skinny white cat with a calico tail, head and ears wandered into the territory. I fed him some of the cat food, and he didn’t care what the brand was. Patch scared him off and he ran into the bushes. Fluffy didn’t like him in the territory either and made some menacing moves. I called her over to me and she came toward me leaving the new guy alone. I took the rest of his food over by the bushes and pushed the bowl out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind for the rest of the kids. I went back upstairs, and from the window could see the skinny interloper munching away.