The Tale of Five Cats and Three Dogs
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2025 5:02 pm
After a seriously snowy night in February 2012 during which my best friend died, a small, ravenous, feral, black cat arrived. We had no cats, so we had no cat food, but we did have some tins of dog food. The advice is not to give cats dog food (though t'other way round is OK) but we reckoned a bit wouldn't hurt and she seemed incredibly hungry. She stayed and we fed her. Later a Tom had his way with her and in early May she produced 3 beautiful tabby kittens.
One, with a white bib and four white feet, (who we called Sox) was the bravest, most adventurous, the first to discover everything and probably the most intelligent from the start. The others were almost identical and both very shy. One, we named Tigger and her slightly darker, even shyer brother became Tawny. Tawny is a sandwich short of a picnic and knows only one word, which in his case is a multi purpose single note rather gruff "Mwaah".
We managed catch all of them and all were sterilised. They continued to live outside here, mostly hiding but arriving every evening of their lives for their tea and they learned to live alongside but very separate from Blitz, Blaze and Frodo whose contact with the cats was very distant and their desire to kill them was a constant worry.
The mother Quiver, disappeared about 5 years ago and though we hoped she would reappear, she never did. On 28 acres of natural jungle, looking for a black, feral cat was a hopeless task.. In her place not long after, another very small black cat arrived and took Quiver's place, becoming known as Tiny. The kittens (now aged about 8) were not best pleased. But Tiny is a very sweet natured cat and has taken up residence next to them in the outbuildings without causing any trouble. They all seem to respect the boundaries, with Tawny occasionally giving a monotonous "Mwaah" just to make his point.
Very recently we lost Frodo, the last of our beloved dogs and for the first time ever were able to leave doors open without fear of possible carnage. Little by little Sox and Tiny seemed aware of a difference and dared to poke noses through doors to do a recce. As I thought, Sox became the first to actually come indoors and have a very cautious tour of the ground floor. She has always enjoyed cuddles outside and followed us round like a little dog, but she'd never sat on my lap. Now her confidence is growing fast; she's come in several times this afternoon, taken treats from my hand and jumped up next to me on the computer chair at least 10 times. She even tried my lap, but had her claws in kneading mode, so I had to push her off.
What are the odds of all 4 being indoor cats by the time winter hits us all??????
One, with a white bib and four white feet, (who we called Sox) was the bravest, most adventurous, the first to discover everything and probably the most intelligent from the start. The others were almost identical and both very shy. One, we named Tigger and her slightly darker, even shyer brother became Tawny. Tawny is a sandwich short of a picnic and knows only one word, which in his case is a multi purpose single note rather gruff "Mwaah".
We managed catch all of them and all were sterilised. They continued to live outside here, mostly hiding but arriving every evening of their lives for their tea and they learned to live alongside but very separate from Blitz, Blaze and Frodo whose contact with the cats was very distant and their desire to kill them was a constant worry.
The mother Quiver, disappeared about 5 years ago and though we hoped she would reappear, she never did. On 28 acres of natural jungle, looking for a black, feral cat was a hopeless task.. In her place not long after, another very small black cat arrived and took Quiver's place, becoming known as Tiny. The kittens (now aged about 8) were not best pleased. But Tiny is a very sweet natured cat and has taken up residence next to them in the outbuildings without causing any trouble. They all seem to respect the boundaries, with Tawny occasionally giving a monotonous "Mwaah" just to make his point.
Very recently we lost Frodo, the last of our beloved dogs and for the first time ever were able to leave doors open without fear of possible carnage. Little by little Sox and Tiny seemed aware of a difference and dared to poke noses through doors to do a recce. As I thought, Sox became the first to actually come indoors and have a very cautious tour of the ground floor. She has always enjoyed cuddles outside and followed us round like a little dog, but she'd never sat on my lap. Now her confidence is growing fast; she's come in several times this afternoon, taken treats from my hand and jumped up next to me on the computer chair at least 10 times. She even tried my lap, but had her claws in kneading mode, so I had to push her off.
What are the odds of all 4 being indoor cats by the time winter hits us all??????