a new stray ...

Hi all - I think I may have found out why Rudi has been behaving erratically (he seems to have taken to climbing lots of trees this week, but has otherwise been very regular with his visits for food and loving) - we have a new stray on the farm.

It's a white cat with large darker patches on it - far more cow-like than my Little Cow! I first saw its outline 2-3 nights back whilst trying to get Paddy to come for her supper and then I saw it tonight through my night vision scope from the upstairs window. It was right outside Paddy's hut in the courtyard, walked around for a minute or two, looked at me sat upstairs and then disappeared from view behind a car. So I went downstairs, put my shoes on, opened the back door and, within seconds Rudi and Paddy were there requesting supper. I can't believe they didn't sense the other cat, and I'm guessing it might have been under a hedge in the courtyard just feet away while they chowed down. Have noticed a lot more food being eaten recently and had originally put it down to a change in the temperature but now I think I know better.

My original impression on seeing the cat wandering was that the darker patches were calico which, I've learnt from this site, basically means female and quite possibly means she's nursing/ pregnant - though with it being a night vision I can't be sure. So I'm going to keep a careful watch for the next few days. My instinct says it's not a feral but that, a bit like Rudi was, it's a long-term stray. I called to it and put a bit of food out specially but it hasn't been back in the couple of hours since so I think it may be on the twitchy side - and I can't imagine that it being bonfire night over here helps on that front.

So looks like I'll be renting a trap and trying to catch him/ her these next few days. Wish me luck - I'm sure I'll inadvertantly catch both Rudi and Paddy and have to release them first. If I inadvertantly catch Little Cow then I'll take it as a sign and get her to the vet for a check-up. But hopefully I'll catch this new one - if it's someone's pet, they are probably missing it like mad. Moreover if it's a stray that could become friendly, the local shelter owe me a couple of favours (and don't put cats down). If it's a feral .... well, maybe he or she can come back to the farm. But I'm getting ahead of myself - let's hope it's just been passing through and has a good home somewhere near.

Quick update ... seen cat each of the last 4 days so it's definitely hanging around. Generally all after dark spottings (including one where it definitely met and was chased away by Rudi/ Paddy) but I've just this morning seen it in the field opposite the house.

Mixture of good news and bad news:

1) it's definitely a b/w cow kitty, so no tortie in it, just some lovely big black patches and tipped ears - a bit like a Batman mask. So less likelihood of it being a female/ nursing - indeed, my instinct is to say with 75% certainty that it's male, probably quite young and probably intact. It's a good size, looks in decent health (from looking through binoculars - no sign of any visiible wounds or ailments) but has no collar. And clearly very scared - I walked across the road this morning and it ran back into the undergrowth. But I don't think it's feral, just a stray

2) the rescue have said that, yes, they can lend me a trap.

3) but they can't take in any new residents as they have cat flu doing the rounds at the shelter

So what I'm going to have to do for now is keep bombarding all the local lost and founds, flyering the village and hope the cat flu outbreak clears quickly so I can trap and get to the safety of a shelter (and it's a good shelter, very loving). I can't take a fourth one at the farm (and, moreover, Paddy and Rudi have clearly already taken a dislike, thus proving the value of introductions), but I want to do best by 'Batman'/ 'Batgirl'

Some questions/ lookiong for advice:

1) I can't really go on to the farmer's field over the road and feed there - I'd be trespassing. So should I put extra food out at my place? I must confess that, for the last couple of nights, I've not left anything other than a few bits of dry out overnight and part of me feels bad for this

2) How long do cat flu outbreaks in shelters tend to last? I have a feeling that the shelter are about 10 days in to the outbreak.

3) There is a part of me thinks that I should trap the cat anyway and take it to the vet to see if it is chipped (as well as for a general healthcheck). If it is, problem probably solved. But if it isn't, a whole new raft of problems occur. There's nowhere on the farm I can keep it safely and securely for a short period. I suppose it could go in the dog crate, but that's horrendously small and impractical.

Thanks, both, for the responses and sorry for my tardy response.

I've only seen 'The BatCat' once since last week (on Saturday) but I'm pretty sure it's still coming around - lots of extra food disappearing. And cross your fingers - my online 'found cat' ad has been responded to by 38 people! Of these, there is one very, very encouraging match from someone who lives just 4-5 miles away. Both the description of the cat, when he strayed (late September) and his general back story tie in. Hopefully we can resolve very soon.

Well, a worried parent was reunited with a stray but not quite in the way envisaged.....

Danielle, the lady who has lost the 'Batcat' (his name is Minstrel), came over to look for him one lunchtime a couple of days ago. She had a good look around the farm and also went into the fields over the road from the house where I've seen him/ her a few times, but to no avail.

I then suggested we should go into the 35 acre field at the back of the farm. I've seen my 3 running around in it a few times - always up near the house - and, just a couple of weeks back, a friend of mine who jogs around the field said he'd seen one of the cats out hunting at the bottom of the farm. So we went for a stroll (accompanied by Paddy!) across the field - it takes a good 15 minutes to get from one end to the other. Three-quarters of the way across the field Danielle suddenly piped up 'There he is!' and pointed about 40-50 feet into the distance where a cat was weaving in and out of the long grass at the edge of the ploughed field, clearly in full on hunting mode. So we edged closer (fortunately the wind was in our favour) and Danielle realised quickly that it wasn't her Minstrel (who is 70% white, 30% black) but, instead, a 70% black and 30% white cat. So I said 'hey, that's my Little Cow, I didn't realise she came so far into the field!'...and then it dawned on me that whereas Little Cow has long white socks on her front legs, this cat had long white socks on its back legs. Moreover the cat turned towards us and I could see that it had slightly different facial markings from LC - no moustache-like smudge, more solid colour.

That's right, it was (the original) Ruby!

When we originally got Ruby and LC and they spent their 3 weeks acclimatising in the little hut that Paddy called home for a couple of weeks (before she moved closer to the house into the dog kennel), I vividly recall both girls being very, very timid - we barely saw them, even though the hut is no bigger than your average garden shed. Ruby in particular hid a lot more inside/ under one of the beds, whilst LC could be seen a little more in the back of a cave bed (her whiter facial markings were a bit of a giveaway). When I opened the door to let them out, LC came out after about 20 minutes and started exploring: Ruby was in there the rest of the day - I went back into the hut late-pm to put out their food and could see she hadn't moved. Moreover on the day they moved in, LC came out of the carrier with no fuss whereas Ruby was all growls and hisses.

Basically Ruby was always the more feral of the two (this sounds a bit daft given that LC is still feral, but am sure you know what I mean) and so it seems that she just decided not to hang around. I don't think she comes to the farmhouse for food at all; rather, she's living off the land, all the rabbits, mice etc. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure I saw her 2-3 months ago on another neighbouring field at twilight.

So whilst I'm gutted for Danielle - though we'll keep looking - I'm thrilled for me! I think I might have to get into the field and put a little hut in there for her..... ;-)