I give in.I am going to care for the strays so please HELLLP!

Giorgio has been up to his old tricks by sneaking in people's windows and terrifying them. He is such a Tom with a big head and thick neck. My other neighbor told me that when she saw his huge head at night she thought it was some sort of deformed alien. She calls him cro magnan cat. The neighborhood has had enough of him. I can't say I blame them. Not sure I would like a crafty cat who could open windows climbing in and making himself at home. This family has cat allergies and are not amused.

Lucia is staying. For good. I can't bear to part with her and the thought of her in a cage makes me sad.
She is the sweetest darling. I clipped her nails she didn't complain or flinch. I gave her a warm bath and she loved it. I towel dried her and she purred the entire time. I can't believe anyone would abandon a wonderful girl like her. She is so easy and so happy when I am sitting in there with her talking to her. So now I have a 6 pack. I read that on someone's siggy and have adopted it too. She is a little sad and I see her looking out of the window. Could she be looking for her kittens? Could she be sad that she can hear them near but they are separated? She will miss the outdoors for awhile but I have a lot of windows and a few bird feeders. She enjoys being rubbed and loved. She loves to talk and weave in out of my legs. Her tail is little crooked at the tip and I wonder if she has been injured. She looks very odd. Her small frame and then a swollen belly like she swallowed a mini pumpkin.
Of course I am already spoiling her. I bought her a bed and some special treats. A scratching post some crinkly balls and a turbo scratcher. Just to keep her entertained. Her coat is so beautiful and shiny.
Her eyes are lime green.
I tried to add a vitamin to her food and she is not sure if she is for it.The vet says she has tartar so I added some treatment to her food. I will give her a good toothbrushing tonight.
The kittens love their new room. I have 2 trees, a tunnel and all kinds of safe adventures for them to entertain themselves with.

I have set out my trap with tuna in it. I will see who or if anyone falls for it. There are more cats lurking around. I saw a black cat and a gray tabby without a tail. 4 or 5 so far.

Giorgio was the first to go in the trap. I have a blanket over him and he is my garage with food and water. In the trap. Tomorrow he will either go to the Humane Society or another no kill shelter. I can't release him because I am afraid a disgruntled neighbor may get fed up and hurt him. I will keep you posted.

Giorgio escaped the trap. I am more than highly annoyed. I was on the phone with different shelters and no one would take him. They are overrun with kittens as it is and there is no room. Animal Control is a kill shelter and since he is semi feral he would have been put down.
Some how during this time he escaped. I no longer have any faith in my trap.
I looked at the trap and it is intact like it was when he was in there. Since I highly doubt he has magic powers to become invisible he must have figured it out. He is a smart cat and I don't think he will go back in the trap. So I am going to go to the cat catching guru to get one of his industrial strength traps. If he goes back in I will transport him immediately to the animal hospital and get him neutered.
Maybe it is best he got out since there was no place for him to go but he needs to be altered immediately.

Lucia had some diarrhea last night but she did it in her box. I called the vet and they told me it is expected since she is now having a a full diet of high quality food instead of a partial. On her Xray she had been full of poo so maybe it is a good thing. Maybe she needed to get some of it out. I gave her her dewormer so I am hoping that helps. She sees my regular vet tomorrow.
She is a special girl. None of my cats are as easygoing as she is. I think a chilled out cat will be good for the balance of my home. Wild child Mary, Cleo who is Mr Sensitivity aka Treat Stealer, Seldon The Curious Comedian, Saffron the Fearless, Sachi the Gentle and Lucia Princess Easygoing.

Wow, I've just read through this whole thread for the first time. Giorgio sounds like SUCH a character!

I'm really disappointed he managed to escape after you caught him I got a really good trap here. They're a bit expensive, but very sturdy, and very good quality - there'd be no escaping from this trap! I think after he's neutered, he'd be much less annoying. Poor guy has hormones racing through him, and he's desperately trying to find females to mate with. We had a gorgeous 2 year old tom cat brought into our shelter who was terrorising the neighbourhood apparently, and after he was neutered, he turned into the world biggest lover. He got a bit antsy being cooped up at the shelter, but we hear the home he went to was fabulous, and he loves being an inside cat now.

Lucia sounds like a sweetheart, and she sounds very happy to have a safe place to deliver her babies. Good on you - you're doing a fabulous job!

Originally Posted by sarahp

Wow, I've just read through this whole thread for the first time. Giorgio sounds like SUCH a character!

I'm really disappointed he managed to escape after you caught him

I got a really good trap here. They're a bit expensive, but very sturdy, and very good quality - there'd be no escaping from this trap! I think after he's neutered, he'd be much less annoying. Poor guy has hormones racing through him, and he's desperately trying to find females to mate with. We had a gorgeous 2 year old tom cat brought into our shelter who was terrorising the neighbourhood apparently, and after he was neutered, he turned into the world biggest lover. He got a bit antsy being cooped up at the shelter, but we hear the home he went to was fabulous, and he loves being an inside cat now.

Lucia sounds like a sweetheart, and she sounds very happy to have a safe place to deliver her babies. Good on you - you're doing a fabulous job!

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Thank you so much. Encouragement helps because there are those in my family who think I am a crazy cat loving nut. Which may be true.

Yes, Giorgio is entertaining. I have met so many people in my neighborhood because of him. Everyone has a Giorgio story and they like to commiserate over what to do with that darn cat. I felt like a hero the day I trapped him but I should have known my trap was no match for his wily ways.
I was in my sunroom and he comes up the window bold as day and looks me. This was about an hour after I realized he had escaped.
I like the trap you recommended and I will be ordering it. I think I am going to disguise the trap next time.

Originally Posted by CC12

Encouragement helps because there are those in my family who think I am a crazy cat loving nut. Which may be true.

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Yes, many people, including my husband think I am obsessed with cat.
But that gives us joy and we are doing good things. It is so nice to chat with people who understand.

Lucia is such a nice cat. I can't believe some one dumped her. I once had a cat like her. She enjoyed bath!! She even sat inside of bucket full of warm water while I was sitting in the tub.

How big is your trap? If trap smaller, it is easier for cat to get out. I have large trap which is big enough for fox. But again, I did see video of raccoon wiggling enough to get out of trap.

Lucia still has not had her babies yet which makes me think she was not as far along as we initially thought. But the vet did say any day now. She is such a small cat. 10 pounds pregnant. She was 9 pounds at the ER. She gained a pound in less than a week. So she looks really big because she is really small.
She had been having horrible diarrhea and her little bottom was red but her stool sample showed that she did not have parasites or anything so the conclusion was that she has IBS. I had always noticed her bottom looking red but since she was outdoors I could never figure it out.
So she takes enzymes and was switched to raw and her diarrhea stopped completely. All of her symptoms did. The vet advised me to do it and she was right. It worked. No more diarrhea. She was so bad it was smelling up the entire house and this is not a small house. I was very worried for her.
Only problem now is that I can't keep up with her appetite.
She was meowing and crying a lot. I put a Feliway plug in her room and she has been calm and relaxed. I changed the set up of her room so that the wood floors are covered with sheets and she has plenty of places to nest and relax.
I think she was feeling poorly because of IBS and also adjusting to the indoors. She has a big window and a view from the second floor of the back yard and garden which she loves to oversee on her perch.
Yesterday she escaped her room and came trotting or perhaps waddling is a better description, into my room. My daughter did not close the door all the way so she decided to explore. Mary went up to her to sniff her nose and greet her but she hissed at her and swatted. Just one time. Mary didn't attack her like I figured she would and instead went under the bed. I figured Lucia is grumpy from her condition and a little used to ruling her domain.
My resident cats are okay with everything.They do not seem to mind the interloper. They adore the kittens now and the kittens are so eager to please. They provide us with endless entertainment. They are good little girls who always use their litterbox(Thank you Kitten Attract and Dr Elsy)and eat their food. The vet techs could not believe how well behaved they were when they went in for their second FVRCP.
They are used to being held because we hold them all of the time. So being handled is not a big deal to them.
They even leap into my arms and lap for naps when they are not in their room. They are starting to pick their favorites among the older cats. Saffron loves Seldon of course but lately she has also taken a liking to Cleo. She likes to cuddle up next to him. Sachi sticks close to Seldon and Mary. Even when Mary hisses at her for disturbing her beauty rest she still cuddles.
Cleo has joined Seldon in helping care for them. When the little escape artists take off when I open their door, he actually finds them and then meows loudly for me to follow. I know he is telling me because he looks at me meows and then looks at the spot where they are. It seems the big cats understand the the little ones are not to roam free in the house.

Giorgio. I had thought he was long gone after Lucia was brought inside but he reappeared yesterday. I was relaxing and when I looked out of the window his face was pressed to it. There is a smudge mark where his nose was. When my ex husband or anyone else sees him he runs away but he seems content to peep at me.
I have been hearing some vicious cat fights outside at night that are so loud they are waking me up. I had not put any food down since I found it sitting untouched for a few days. I figured my kitties were elsewhere. I think not after the last few nights. Giorgio has even taken to yowling for some food. I feel like he is telling me to get with it. Chop chop with the food lady.
His wish is my command. So today we are back on schedule.
I am feeling discouraged about trapping him because he seems to be the Whoudini of cats. Nothing keeps him in. So I am going to give it a few days and then try again. I have been preoccupied with caring for Lucia and the kittens.
I am eager to see what the litter looks like because I already have some people who want one but they have requests. One couple wants a tiger striped kitten. One wants a blue one after seeing Saffron. Yet another wants a tuxie like Lucia. What if they are all orange tabby boys? Who knows who else is out there fathering kittens.
I hope Lucia can get along with my cats or else I will have to try to find a home for her. One person wants her but only as a primarily outdoor cat and she lives in coyote country. Uhm how do I say this delicately...NO! Not my girl. If I can't find a home we will make it work. But that is months away to worry about. Once she is spayed and everything things could dramatically change.

I noticed today that Saffron glows. She has a slivery sheen to her fur like she was sprinkled with glitter. You can kind of see it in the pictures.


Mary and Saffron resting.







You can see Seldon hugging Sachi. She loves to lay next to him. He is so good with them. He chases them when they escape but he refrains from fully tackling them. He tries to catch them with his paw. It is funny to watch.
The kittens are integrated nicely into the family and the big cats seem keen on them too.

I learned today that my neighbor allows her Main Coon boy out and is known for fighting viciously with Giorgio. She is planning to rego her porch but is afraid she will find a colony of kittens under it. Her daughters came over to visit the kittens and fell in love. The littlest one wanted to keep Sachi and was not very pleased to be told No. She is only 4 so No is very irritating to her. This neighbor says she thought she was seeing things when she would see a movement near her windows until she saw that it was Giorgio on her roof too.
No kittens yet.

Holy moly, I just read this whole thing. I love your writing style and am anxious for an update. You are awesome for doing this. Absolutely amazing.

Originally Posted by Endorphins

Holy moly, I just read this whole thing. I love your writing style and am anxious for an update. You are awesome for doing this. Absolutely amazing.

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Thank you. I love caring for them. I was inspired by others here and just went where it took me. I never imagined it would be so eventful.

My daughter was drawing in her sketchbook today and she was drawing pictures of Giorgio. She made up a long story about him being a formerly famous cat who was fed up with Hollywood and ran away to Oregon. He was famous for doing tricks and now used them to peep in windows.
It was sweltering hot yesterday and today will be worse. Around 100. I have no central AC. I have no AC at all. I contemplated going to a hotel but I can't see my menagerie of cats and me being exactly welcomed with open arms. If they can't go then I will suffer with them. I exaggerate. My house is 90 years old and built to stay cool. I have huge trees, plenty of shade and an attic fan. My basement never gets above 70. I will arrange it so that the cats are all on the first floor. I have fans and ice. I am going to put ice in their fountains.
No one was all that hungry except for the feline vacuum that goes by the name Lucia. I am waiting for the kittens. She is beginning to look weird. Her middle is huge and her head looks tiny on her body. I felt a kitten move inside her and it was a strange feeling.

Giorgio was hanging out in the shade today. I brought out some ice water for him and some chilled wet food. I knew it would heat quickly so I chilled it so it would last a little longer. He ate it but was in no hurry.

There is a new cat on the block and I think it is Sachi's father. He is a medium haired black Tom. I wonder if any of this litter will be his too.
Saffron has bonded strongly with my daughter and loves to lounge in her lap. For such a feisty kitten she is so loving. She purrs so much she even sighs mid purr to catch her breath to keep purring. Like she is slightly bored with the purr routine but it is her thing so she is sticking with it.

Another cat fight but this time I went to look. Giorgio and an even bigger cat were rolling around hissing and scratching. I clapped and they took off in opposite directions. I may have to set up two feeding places. The fights seem to happen near the food. I am eyeing an automatic feeder. I could put wet food out but dry food would still be handy all day in case someone gets bullied away from the food. They can come back later unopposed. We will see. I research products to death so I will start the hunt for the best one with the best price.
We'll see.

Well, the good news is that I saw one of Lucia's other kittens today. The little one is still living under the porch. Sneaky kitten must have been there all along. I am going to position my trap differently to make it easier to catch him with. I am not sure if it is a boy or girl but 'him' will work for now.

I caught Giorgio urinating on my doorstep next to my glass door. That should be bad enough. But no. Seldon ups the ante by spraying on the door on the inside. He has been spraying the door. I whipped out my trusty black light only to be horrified at what I found. So I blocked the door, cleaned it, Feliway sprayed and put a plug in next to the door. So he sprayed my bookcase and ottoman. Just a little sprinkle but I was not pleased. So I put him in the bathroom where he sprayed yet again. I opened the door and a big whiff of pee pee hit me in the nose. I am not going to black light that room. I don't wanna know what else I may find. Luckily that bathroom is all tile and due for a deep cleaning tomorrow. I will use a batch of homemade stuff and follow it up with store stuff. Let it dry and then do it one more time. I refuse to live in a House O' Pee.
He started this when after Lucia came in. I know he is mad about it because he will spray right in front of me. Up goes the tail, shaky shake and out comes the spray. I am calling the vet today. He was already checked for physical issues so I know it is purely behavioral. We tried some stuff for his bladder but this is now just him protest spraying. Once he started and Cleo followed him to look and he stopped. So I know he wants me to see him.
Lucia and the kittens on the other hand are model citizens. They ALWAYS use their boxes and rarely even kick litter over the side of their pans. Mary and Cleo are on their best behavior too.

Saffron and Saachi are such lovey doveys. They love to be held and kissed. I nose kiss them and they purr like mad. They are also growing very quickly.
Lucia was with me in the TV room and I brought the kittens in too. Saffron went up to greet her but Lucia hissed and swatted at her. She looked so confused and slunk away. I had to cuddle her loads after. It sounds weird but she actually looked rather hurt.

Lucia continues to expand and expand but no kittens. I am starting to worry that there are 15 kittens in there or something. The Xray showed around 4 but the vet said some could be hiding and not seen. Could be 7 or 8 in there. I will be overrun by kittens. I think there may be health codes or something against having so many cats in one house. More than 10 and you are considered a hoarder.
We are all well but kitten watch is still in effect.

I had a neighborhood BBQ in my yard last night for the 4th and of course the conversation turned to cats. I found out that Giorgio had actually been someone's cat. They moved and left him behind. What makes someone do that? You can at least take them to a shelter. To add insult to injury he was owned by these people for years. It makes sense. I always see him loitering around that house and it seems as though he considers it part of his territory. Now he gets chased out of yards and treated like a nuisance. Poor thing.

He has not been around in the last day or so which always worries me some. My mind wanders to dark thoughts. I am always afraid that one of my cats have met up with nasty cat hating people.
Tonight I am trapping again.

I had a scare the other night. The kittens were able to get from their tree to the skylight window which I had left open a few inches due to the heat and onto the roof. I was able to coax them down with food but I was worried. Needless to say I closed the window to a crack and put a fan in their room. I moved the tree a few inches so that they could not leap onto the ledge again.

Lucia has not given birth yet and I am beginning to feel like she will be pregnant forever. I feel the babies move inside of her and they feel pretty big. I can't wait. If she doesn't have them in a day or two I may take her to get Xrays just in case.

Thank you so much for this beautiful thread. Princess Lucia is such a charmer and I'm so glad she has you to take care of her. She probably had human care before because ferals almost never "talk" to people like she does. Besides of course, her lovely person(cat?)ality.

Giorgio fascinates me. Any chance that some folks in the neighborhood knew his old name? He might respond to it. He sounds like such a great cat. Your daughter's story kind of summed up his appeal to me. He seems to have a great story of some kind.

If his family were older folks they might not have had much choice whether they could take him. Sometimes when older people go to their relatives or to assisted living homes because of health problems, their families just leave the cats behind. It's a family crisis that can overwhelm people.

I hope you can catch Giorgio again and get him neutered. That may be all it takes to slow him down and stop a lot of the cat fights in the neighborhood. It really sounds like he wants a family and I hope he can find one.

I answered your post but it went away...far far away into cyber space...
You are right. Sometimes older people have no choice or he could have gotten out and they had to leave before finding him. He seems like given a chance he could be a great housecat. Problem is that it is kitten season and no one wants an adult male. My best chance with him is to TNR him and then see if I can improve his situation in some way.

Lucia had her kittens!!! 8 beautiful little babies on Sunday. She is such a good Mommy. I check on her several times a day but give her some privacy to rest too. She is still such a love and seems to have bonded very closely with my daughter. My daughter likes to lay on the ground and Lucia will curl up with her. She will sing to her or read her stories. She tells me that sometimes Lucia will lay on her tummy and nap. So sweet.
I give her lots of rubs, pets and tender kisses on her head. While she nurses I will pet her gently so that she knows I am here for her. She closes her eyes when I do this.
This is her last litter. After the kittens are weaned she is getting spayed. She is the tiniest cat. I doubt she weighs 7 pounds but she had 8 really healthy kittens.
The weirdest thing about her litter is that 2 of the kittens have markings exactly like Cleo who is neutered. I can see who Giorgio's are. Then there is a tuxie, 2 magpies and a mackerel. They are pretty plump and eating well.
I see them fighting over nipples at feeding times. She just adjusts and lets them root around. I see her groom them too.

Giorgio has been hanging around. Today he was on my footpath relaxing. He looks like he was in a few fights besides the one he got into in my house. Which is a whole other story.
Sunday night around midnight I hear some serious cat fighting going on in the house. My door was not locked yet and Giorgio managed to push it and get in. I think after my guest had left they had closed the door but not very hard.
He and Seldon were going at it. Mary was on top of the mantle hissing and pacing. Cleo jumped in and they fought all the way out of the door. Cleo chased him down the driveway and then came trotting right back in the house. Giorgio has brought out the fighters in my gentle neutered males. Of course my daughter after being told said that he was coming in to check on Lucia and his kittens. She has quite the romantic imagination.

He is not overly concerned or threatened since he was resting happily,in the sun with a scratch on his nose today. We looked at one another and he did the slow blink and I blinked back. I left him some extra special food out tonight with some vitamins in it. We are attempting a trap in the next few days. I have a bungee cord to use to keep it locked after he goes in.

We have a new friend on the block. A calico girl my daughter has named Sarafina. She has no collar but she is another roof climber. I saw her sunning on my neighbors roof. Someone a few houses down found kittens in their garage. Which means there are other females around. My hope is to get Sarafina close enough to spay. Her ear is not tipped but she is certainly lovely.

oh my goodness! 8! Good thing Lucia is such a wonderful mom, with 8 kittens to care for! Pictures please!

I love the name Sarafina, it sounds so pretty! Hopefully she will trap easily (and not escape like Giorgio )

Love hearing about the cats! Keep it up, I'm hooked!

I am happy you like their adventures. I find them entertaining and I have to share it with other cat crazy people.

Giorgio and the others have been snubbing my food. I was highly offended until I found out someone two doors down has been leaving huge bowls of food out in the mornings. Looks like they go there to get a huge meal and then come to me for midnight snacks. That is ok. I actually understand because earlier in the summer I told some neighbors that they could use my backyard for events and that they were welcome to let their kids come over and play. My daughter is having a blast as our yard has become ground zero for summer fun. Yesterday was a balloon fight and today it will be a treasure hunt. Not all that conducive to feeding ferals and strays. With daylight savings the madness does not end until after 10.
But they hang at the perimeters. Funny how you see them now when before I never noticed the ones hiding.

One of Lucia's kittens that we were unable to catch has taken to being Giorgio's side kick. I guess he is showing him/her the ropes. Who has what food on what days, whose window latches are broken...etc. It made me sad that we were unable to catch the other two kittens. But I am glad the kittens are alive. Maybe I will be able to trap better once summer dies down.
Giorgio has been on my roof. I was stumbling to the restroom early one morning to check on Lucia and the kittens. Also to 'powder my nose' when I saw his big head looking in the window. He didn't even have the decency to look away. I tried to approach the window but he was gone. I don't think he is all that pleased that his female is no longer available. He picked up her scent and found the right window.
I went back to sleep but was woken up earlier than normal from the sound of another cat fight. This time Seldon climbed out of the window and was fighting with Giorgio. Again. He lost his pretty new collar. I am no longer buying Seldon nice collars. Mary and Cleo keep theirs. He loses his. I am going to get a bag of cheapos in one color and write in permanent marker my info. I refuse to engrave anymore charms for him until I know this period is over. He is microchipped as well. This time Seldon walks right back in. He is not afraid of the outside anymore and he knows where home is.
I am annoyed about the window since I am careful about these things but I think Seldon got out of an upstairs window and used the same strategy Giorgio uses to get down. It was a very hot a few days ago so this theory is feasible. He would have had to squeeze but it is possible with some will and determination.
It is getting almost embarrassing how often they have gotten out in this house. Not once before I moved here but now it is a weekly occurrence.

Saffron and Sachi are doing very well. Saffron has a thing for bread. When I had them out for a few hours of play time she took some bites out of a baguette I had on the counter. She took a slice and ran around growling. The big cats followed her around but she kept trying to get away with her bounty. None of the big cats even like anything beyond meat except for Seldon and his soy coffee. So she was growling to keep something no one else wanted.
We all took a nap in the TV room. They slept beside me, the big cats were on a chair and my daughter was on the other sofa. I felt a little tickle on my neck and Sachi was licking me.

Lucia and her babies:


Saffron and Sachi:




Getting pictures of them still is a chore. They are always moving. Sachi loves to be held and is happiest in my arms. Saffron has to get into stuff and be in charge.It will be interesting to see how they grow.

Lucia trusts me and I was happy to see that she looks at me when her babies squeak if I am holding them but she showed me last night that she trusts me with them. Usually she would get up to come get the baby but she allowed me to cuddle the baby and return it to their bed with her. She did not blink an eye but looked at me and blinked. I blinked back. She is the most loving cat and so easy to be around. I am glad she has come into my life. I think she is relieved to be inside, cozy, dry and clean instead of giving birth under a porch. The babies are beginning to open their eyes and it is sweet to see.
How am I going to part with them? I have to because 14 cats is too many for me to manage. I may keep one of this litter but the others go to furever homes.

The strays and ferals are being fed somewhere else because they don't eat as much as they did. My theory is that Lucia was eating most of it and probably chasing them away before. She was very defensive about her food out there and was screaming nightly. Now she is docile and sweet and happy in her own room. Her temperament is very much like Mary's. Both are easy to please and purr easily. My boys are spoiled little Princes. I started a new recipe for my raw food and the girls eat it up. The boys turn up their noses. So now I am going to have to mix the store bought with the homemade to get their discerning palettes used to it.
Lucia is still caring for her babies like the amazing Mommy she is. They are plump and happy.
IMG]http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn43/cc12_2008/13fd6d9c.jpg[/IMG]

Giorgio's presence outside has become part of our daily lives. He comes. He peeps. Then he yowls for awhile. Sometimes this routine is broken up when he brings a friend by. Sometimes during the night our motion lights go on and off about twenty times. Sometimes he comes up to the glass door to watch some TV with us. Cleo saw him and yawned. Not a load of fanfare by the inside cats. His persistence is extraordinary. I don't think my cats could keep that level of irritation and active dislike going so they just threw in the towel and said a collective "whatever".
The only thing new is that he likes to sunbathe in front of the house now. I go get the mail and he is stretched out dozing off in the sun.
Sarafina seems to like roof living because I see her on the roof of a house almost everyday. She looks at me when I try to get closer but doesn't move. She is a mystery and I would like to get her to come over so I can see her up close.
The big orange tabby is an intact male who belongs to someone who lets him roam. This was confirmed by a neighbor. He is not as bold as Giorgio but he likes to roam some. He lives across the street. I am surprised I did not see an orange one in the litter but I think Giorgio was successful in keeping a large number of Toms away from his Queen Lucia. Not all evidently judging from the colors and range of kittens but a lot.
Tomorrow I am going to start putting some wet food only out to draw the cats closer. If orange tabby gets in my trap then he is getting fixed too. I was told many many other people in the neighborhood want to do this and are willing to pay for it. Seems he can be a nuisance.
I have not seen the Blue or the black cats lately though my ex said he saw a black cat that looked exactly like Sachi today next door. It made me wonder if it was a cat from a previous litter or a sister of Lucia. He said it looked like a girl.

My lack of success at trapping is embarrassing. I put food out, it gets snatched or goes untouched with no cat inside. I may give take a week or two off as they seem hip to the trap I have. I may go to the guru and get a bigger trap with a quicker trip plate. I need to get some cats spayed and neutered. I am also concerned about the fall and winter. I would like to get this taken care of before then. I want to put a warm shelter outside.

The strays and ferals are being fed somewhere else because they don't eat as much as they did. My theory is that Lucia was eating most of it and probably chasing them away before. She was very defensive about her food out there and was screaming nightly. Now she is docile and sweet and happy in her own room. Her temperament is very much like Mary's. Both are easy to please and purr easily. My boys are spoiled little Princes. I started a new recipe for my raw food and the girls eat it up. The boys turn up their noses. So now I am going to have to mix the store bought with the homemade to get their discerning palettes used to it.
Lucia is still caring for her babies like the amazing Mommy she is. They are plump and happy.
Giorgio has become part of our daily lives. He comes. He peeps. Then he yowls for awhile. Sometimes this routine is broken up when he brings a friend by. Sometimes during the night our motion lights go on and off about twenty thousand times. Sometimes he comes up to the glass door to watch some TV with us. Cleo saw him and yawned. Not a load of fanfare by the inside cats. His persistence is extraordinary. I don't think my cats could keep that level of irritation and active dislike going so they just threw in the towel and said a collective "whatever".
The only thing new is that he likes to sunbathe in front of the house now. I go get the mail and he is stretched out dozing off in the sun.
Sarafina seems to like roof living because I see her on the roof of a house almost everyday. She looks at me when I try to get closer but doesn't move. She is a mystery and I would like to get her to come over so I can see her up close.
The big orange tabby is an intact male who belongs to someone who lets him roam. This was confirmed by a neighbor. He is not as bold as Giorgio but he likes to roam some. He lives across the street. I am surprised I did not see an orange one in the litter but I think Giorgio was successful in keeping a large number of Toms away from his Queen Lucia. Not all evidently judging from the colors and range of kittens but a lot.
Tomorrow I am going to start putting some wet food only out to draw the cats closer. If orange tabby gets in my trap then he is getting fixed too. I was told many many other people in the neighborhood want to do this and are willing to pay for it. Seems he can be a nuisance.
I have not seen the Blue or the black cats lately though my ex said he saw a black cat that looked exactly like Sachi today next door. It made me wonder if it was a cat from a previous litter or a sister of Lucia. He said it looked like a girl.

My lack of success at trapping is embarrassing. I put food out, it gets snatched or goes untouched with no cat inside. I may give take a week or two off as they seem hip to the trap I have. I may go to the guru and get a bigger trap with a quicker trip plate. I need to get some cats spayed and neutered. I am also concerned about the fall and winter. I would like to get this taken care of before then. I want to put a warm shelter outside and want next year to be a summer with less homeless babies.

My sleep is interrupted every night lately. Giorgio calls for Lucia all night long. He yowls off and on. Calling and calling. She is not bothered at all. She is happily resting and caring for her babies. She never stirs.
Sometimes when I look in her eyes I see pure exhaustion. I lay with her and rub her head and she closes her eyes. When I stop she looks at me for more. I feel a kindred spirit with her. I understand exhaustion and feeling like you need a break to regroup. Her eyes are so expressive and it is easy to tell how she feels. I imagine all of the kittens she has lost, the hard times of giving birth over and over, the fights and the fear and I know she needs me. It is not a life for a cat to be unloved. I hope she can exist in my home with the others. I will try everything in my power to make it happen. If not...well I don't think about the not part often.
Last night as I was laying and talking to her she reached out a paw and touched my arm. It went straight to my heart.

I was driving up to my house when I saw a big long haired blue cat running in the opposite direction. He turned and then kept running. I wonder where all of these blue and grays are coming from. This neighborhood has a lot of houses with porches, detached garages and trees so I can only wonder how many are in hiding.

Seldon is in isolation due to his territorial spraying. I felt really bad for him so I let Sachi and Saffron visit. He was so happy so see the girls. They are so much fun and love to play with him. It seemed to make a difference as he was quieter that night. He has always loved them and the feelings are mutual. I think he was worn out from playing with two kittens with unlimited energy.

They got their last FVRCP on Saturday. They are fully vaccinated now. YAY!!

The little babies are getting large and their little faces are so sweet. They have tiny little whiskers. Tiny little eyes and little itty bitty noses. How can you not love them? I am already looking for homes for them. I am trying to lobby people to adopt two at a time. I may keep one. I am not sure.

Lucia seems restless lately, I hope she is not going to go into another heat cycle. She is still nursing and the kittens are not ready for a solid food only diet. I would bottle feed but 8 is a bit much for me. I do give the runt a bottle everyday to supplement her because she seems to lose out to the bigger kitties when feeding times begin.
They have shown some interest in food but more of a curiosity than anything else. My vet wants the kittens to nurse as long as possible and not to push solids on them so I have to wait until the kittens are 8 weeks old minimum to spay Lucia. However, Saffron and Sachi are only 3 1/2 months old which means she pretty much was pregnant back to back with a few weeks in between. So the possibility that she can have another heat cycle is pretty good. But no more litters for her.


Her kittens are now walking and already at 3 weeks they show feelings. My favorite even purrs when I pick her up.
This is my baby girl and I love her. I am not sure why but I adore her and she is special to me. She is a little mackerel and has a matching twin sister. She has such a determined little face and is more daring than the others. She tries to crawl out of the door when I come in.

I love all of the kittens but sometimes some cats snuggle close to your heart and then it is impossible not to love them.


Giorgio has been spraying my glass doors and underneath my windows. He has really claimed my house and yard for his own. He was at the glass door when Saffron saw him and tried out her little hiss.

It was very sweet because it all heart but all that came out was a tiny little hiss sound. He was not impressed however and proceeded to spray the door. I saw him go underneath my stairs for the food. He is also not impressed with the dry food. When I put some Weruva out and he is near he gobbles it down but if he is not near sometimes it is not eaten. I hate to waste it. He lets me know when he is around and I listen for him.
There are two kittens that have similar markings to his. They are the smaller ones in the litter but very feisty. They are little but with big squeaks.


I think he misses Lucia. Even though they had their ups and downs they were still companions sometimes. I can see from my indoor cats that cats can get lonely. He has his black side kick kitty sometimes but not always.
I have been so busy caring for my indoor menagerie that it is hard for me to concentrate on getting him trapped.
I called the Feral Cat Coalition and hope to get some help with him. I am unable to do it by myself. I think I will just TNR him because he is too afraid of people to ever be eligible for adoption. I am not equipped to socialize him and this is basically his home. This is a safe neighborhood and he does not go very far. It is not the best kind of life but it is the best available at this time.