Bathing At The Condo

A feral cat photo of the day...
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Beige cat is rather timid but caught at the right angle she doesn't notice me. Here Buff/Beige cat is having an after breakfast bath at the feeding level of my homemade "Cat Condo."

Hanging there in the background, for easy access, is a capture throw-net. I'm not really good enough at it but I keep trying.

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Fujifilm Superia 1600 @1000 ISO, Canon A2, 105mm

Beige Cat, Feral Cat Photo of the Day

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It's bobtail Beige Cat or Buff Cat (depending on my mood, I guess) getting a drink ...although now that she sees me, she'll be gone in a flash. I always thought her color was just a little unusual - making an interesting contrast with her eyes.

Ginger Bobtail Portrait - Feral Cat Photo of the Day

Ginger bobtail feral cat - also known as "Beige Cat" - our slightly different-looking bobtail feral has been seen in this blog before (younger) - here we have a more close-up portrait picture of her.

Fluffy Buff and Bike Frame - Feral Cat Photo of the Day

Back for a visit, our fluffy buff/beige/orange feral tom peeks out at me between the wheels of my parked bike.

He's a bright and curious fellow, as are many of the ferals. And suspicious of people, of course.

Fluffy Orange-Beige-Ginger Cat - Feral Cat Photo of the day

Sitting atop one of my home-built shelters, this very fluffy cat looks almost like it has a lion's mane...



A lot of that fluff is just winter coat, of course, but I also try to keep the local feral cats pretty well-fed. This is certainly a beautiful cat, one that looks like it should be a pet... you can't get near it, though.

Feral Cat Photo Of The Day - Buff Beige Cat Au Naturale

Appearing in previous posts, Beige Cat gets caught by the camera again! This capture better illustrates her natural environment in the feral cat colony.

Like the rest of the cats in this feral colony, she's doing pretty well overall. Mostly that's because I feed them twice a day and I've built small winter shelters for them. The stacked tires are actually one of the winter shelters made from local debris.

As you know, I also have live traps and my own trap-neuter-release program, which I do ...as much as I can afford. So for feral cats, they have it pretty good. It's all relative, I guess.

I DO lose some sleep from time to time, however, worrying about what will happen to them if/when I can no longer afford to provide care for these discarded animals. I can't think about it too much, though, or I'll get depressed. For now, anyway, they are doing okay.

Feral Cat Photos Of The Day - 3 Orange-Buff Tabbies, 'Farm Cats'

Dumping cats... You can only see two heads because the third cat is tucked-in pretty tight. They are probably close relatives or even littermates; these now-grown orange tabby cats stick together, which is a good thing.

The orange trend in this particular feral colony started a few years ago with a cat that was probably dumped. I'm sure it was former pet because it was friendly.

I live in a rural area near dairy farms; which is why I have access to so many feral cats in case you wondered. Many of the cats in these colonies, however, are regular housecats. People often dump cats when they become inconvenient. They probably choose a farm area because they believe some myth about cats having great lives on farms.

People think (or want to believe) "Oh, a dairy farm. Lots of milk, the kitty will be fine. Just fine..."

Well, this is the post where I tell you the sad truth. That whole "dairy" thing is just a myth, my friends. The truth is that  a modern commercial dairy is a terrible place for a cat - especially a house cat that has never lived outdoors. This isn't the 19th century! Modern commercial dairies are mechanized, stainless steel-lined factory operations. Hardly a drop of milk is spilled and what does find its way into the stainless steel run-off gutters is heavily contaminated with cleaning fluids and other chemicals. No milk for kitty.

Instead, what your pet will find is an inhospitable climate and a colony of very hungry cats competing for the one and only resource the commercial dairy offers: field mice.

If your cat is not a top-notch hunter, it will slowly starve to death. If it is a hunter, it has a chance. There aren't enough mice to go around, however, so even a good hunter will find itself constantly on the edge of starvation.

That dairy doesn't sound so great after all, does it? It isn't....

Feral Cat Photo of The Day - Beige Cat, Watching, Wary

On alert... even though I am far away with a long telephoto lens, Beige Cat knows I am there. She watches me from afar. She is wary: You never know what people are going to do; they cannot be trusted.

Big Eyed Feral Cat

Big Eyed Cat is a young cat trying to take a bath and would like a little privacy, thank you. Big Eyes looks a lot like it could be the child of Hidden Cat (see previous post). I don't know but they have the same offbeat beige coloring.

This feral is certainly on my live trap list! It's getting so I catch as many previously-spayed cats as fresh ones, but I keep trying until I get it right.. at least whenever I have the money for the vet.

Orange Tabby Hiding - Feral Cat Of The Day

It looks like this orange tabby is feeling a little off but he's still managing to blend in even though his color tends to make him stand out..

Hiding is important for ferals; there is always something out to get these kitties.

Feral Cat Of The Day - Young Beige Tom

A young feral cat, I believe he is a tom, peers with suspicion in my direction.

He seems pretty healthy for a feral cat although looks can be deceiving. Most feral cats have very short, miserable lives.

Feral Cat Of The Day - Orange Tabby

This orange tabby cat has survived in the feral colony, doing better than most, by constantly prowling for food.



I managed to live-trap this one and have it spayed, last year.