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January 21, 2006
Fun with Ferals
After a year of feeding ferals, I'm beginning to figure something out about them: they come and go. They will suddenly disappear, and after several weeks you figure they're gone. They've met their Maker or they've found a home. And then, inexplicably, they show back up on the porch, waiting for the next meal, as if they were never gone. This is the pattern with Chesty, Geraldine, Gloves, Boss, Bart, and now Dally.
It was not, however, the pattern with Fred. Once we began feeding him (and he's the reason we began feeding ferals), he moved in and stayed. He took up residence in the barn, he never missed a day with us, and finally we just captured him, had him neutered, and began the process of taming him as an indoor kitty.
And tame? I should say so. That cat is fat—he eats constantly—rather like Joanna's Dude (see comments), who, I am pleased to know, abides. And he gets petted constantly. He still has hysterics when we try to pick him up, but less so all the time. We often wake up and find him in bed with us. Fred is special. He's feral, but he's a feral who was born sweet and companionable. He's where he ought to be.
In Fred's honor, we continue to feed the ferals, until there's some compelling reason not to. We feed them like we feed the birds, and we enjoy both.
Okay, back to Chapter 19. Once I get it under control, I get my first outdoor excursion in a week. Who knew a trip to a country grocery store could be so thrilling?
Posted by senioritis at January 21, 2006 08:38 AM
Comments
Fred and the Dude are brothers under the fur. Dude sleeps with us, and for awhile, he slept on my husband's stomach until Paul began to have very bad backaches during the day.
Without getting too cat silly (it is Saturday, after all), I have to say that Fred and the Dude are good examples of feral cats who are happy to be "socialized." But it took almost a year for him to feel trusting and comfortable, and as I've written in blog, his last trip to the vet's was like a tryout for the Olympics decathelon for all three of us. Our other cats whine loudly but will get in the cat carrier and go. The Dude seems genuinely terrified and we work on giving him more and more security.
Posted by: joanna at January 21, 2006 02:45 PM
It's good to hear that all continues to go well with Fred!
Posted by: Donna Strickland at January 21, 2006 05:33 PM