The fall term is over, and I’ve had a few days that are miraculously free of meetings and other administrative tasks. Having a stretch of time to focus exclusively on writing and research is so very rare these days – I live for these moments!
I thought I would have some uninterrupted writing time over these few days, but hasn’t really worked out that way. I’m distracted by the plight of a family of homeless/stray/feral cats that have taken up residence on our block. They curl up on our porch and hang out in our garden. As I sit at my desk and work, they look in at me through the windows. We have put out food, water, and shelter for them (a couple of home made shelters lined with straw, and a fancy deluxe electric heated outdoor cathouse that we ordered online), and the plan is to eventually trap them so that they can be spayed/neutered. There seem to be 5 different cats, but only one of them will let us get close. The others take off the second we step outside. Of course, we have named them all.
There is Ollie, a little black & white cat who seems to be under a year old. She is the friendliest of the bunch and is quite vocal about asking for some food.
Ernie is about the same age as Ollie and I wonder if they are siblings. They pal around together as if they are, and I’ve often seem them playing/play-fighting. Ernie is mostly white but has the cutest orange “hat” and some orange spots on his back. He is quite afraid of us, but is getting better.
I put some catnip out for Ollie and Ernie the other day and they seemed to really love it!
The other cats are all quite a bit older and are much more afraid of us. Lady Grantham (yes, I’m a bit of a Downton Abbey fan!) is black and white and has the same kind of “hat” that Ernie has. I’ve seen Ollie and Lady Grantham greet one another in a way that makes me think they are mother-daughter. Sadly, it looks like Lady Grantham has an expanding belly, and I fear another litter may soon be on its way. Tom is a fluffy orange and white cat who hangs around with Lady Grantham (there isn’t exactly Downton Abbey storyline consistency with this naming project!), and Oscar is a very sad-looking black cat. I don’t think Oscar is part of the same family unit as the other 4. He has the saddest eyes and hangs around by himself all the time. He seems as though he may have once upon a time lived with a family and has now ended up on the street whereas the others seem like they have been outside most/all of their lives.
I wish I knew their stories and where they came from. They are absolutely breaking my heart. I wake up in the night thinking of them, hoping they have found a warm place to curl up. I keep an eye out for them and worry when I don’t see them. I’ve been reading all I can to learn about how best to help these cats. I know there are other neighbours on this street who are also looking out for these cats. I wish this kind of situation wasn’t so common.
