Mama Cat and Peach Blossom Indoors

The big news is that we were able to trap the feral mama cat and her kitten on our front screened in porch last Tuesday. We’d been feeding them deeper and deeper into the porch for the past couple of weeks and creating a maze to get to the food bowls so there wasn’t a straight shot to the door. I’d hooked up a rope to the screen door that went to the shop where I sat and waited for Molly’s signal since I couldn’t see into the porch to make sure both cats were at the other end. She gave the signal, I gave the rope a yank, and the door closed shut.

Both cats freaked out, cannoning into the screens to get out. We opened the door to the house, Bobo went out onto the porch, and the mama cat and kitten both immediately calmed down. It took an hour or so for them to venture inside the house and that’s where they’ve remained since then. Eventually we’ll get both neutered and, if they prefer, they can go back outside full time. But I think with winter coming, and the company of the other cats, they’ll decide they like it inside sometimes.

Mama cat is watching from the step down into the addition. Blondie can’t be easily seen, but he’s lying and looking out the window to her right.

All of the cats have been having a great time with each other. Little Blondie seems to be special friends with the feral kitten. Both the kitten and mama cat remain hidden for most of the day, but as time has gone on they’ve ventured out more and more — to scamper and hide if we walk by or come too close. Getting them into carriers to take to the vet is going to be a challenge.

More soon!

September 6, 2010