It's Been A While ...

... since I last posted, but I assure you I haven't abandoned this blog. I have just been looking after a farm by myself for three months, doing my own work and also decluttering big time. Will return soon with more feral cat news.

Cat Lap Dance

Check out this little animated video called "Lap Dance" by Jim McNeill who obviously understands cat behaviour and relationships. The cat is a cracker. Love the claw action and the breathing. Thanks to Carol O for the hat tip.

Inter-species Love Connection – Cat and Deer

Saw this and thought you'd love it – I did. I think it's a domestic cat rather than a feral cat but nevertheless, it's quite heart-warming.

Cat Culture

It's interesting how new cats (feral, stray or domestic) fit into the culture of older established cats when they are introduced and integrated into a family. I first became aware of this about ten years ago when I was on the house-sitting circuit in Sydney. I lived like a gypsy for about seven years all around the city – from the beach to the inner city and outlying suburbs. I had regular "clients" (if one could call them that) for whom I would regularly house-sit – especially people with animals. I liked the cats and dogs and they liked me so the house-owner would invariably transition back from a business trip or holiday to happy and relaxed animals. 

One of the families I house-sat for had four cats. Their house backed onto a State forest and had a lovely swimming pool and garden area. Every morning and evening, wild rainbow lorikeets, rosellas, cockatoos and corellas would fly onto the feeding trays on the verandah and eat sunflower seeds. They would walk all over the decking and would often come within inches of the sun-baking sprawled-out cats. What amazed me was that none of the cats would even so much as twitch their whiskers or open a sleepy eyelid to look at the birds, let alone pounce on them as is their nature.

When I expressed my incredulity about this phenomenon to the owner, she told me that the senior cat had never shown any interest in the feathered visitors. When two of the other cats came into the fold they looked to the senior cat for cues on how to handle the situation. The senior cat didn't even bother budging when a parrot walked past his nose and in the end neither did they – the cat culture was well and truly established in the form of ignoring the birds. 

A while later, a fourth cat joined the family. He was a starving stray who came in from the forest desperately seeking food which the house owner would leave out at night. After a while he moved in and became part of the family. He was a great character with a confident affectionate personality and he quickly established himself as the dominant cat – not with any show of threat or territorial competitiveness but with his wonderful character. In the first instance when he was confronted with a veritable feast of bird life, he observed that the other three cats didn't bother moving a muscle in the bird's vicinity and consequently he adopted that response as well. During the many sojourns I had at that house, I found no evidence of dead birds or other fallen animals that had become victim to the cats, although it must be said that these cats were well fed so I'm unsure whether starvation would have changed their behaviour or their established cat cultural practice.

Cat culture can be established by way of routines, eating patterns, inter-species interaction and so on and is invariably led by senior cats rather than humans. I've noticed on the farm that the newer cats look to the older cats for what to do in certain situations where they are unsure of the protocols (for want of a better word). In the end the neophytes just fall in line with what the other cats are doing and integrate into the farm cat culture. That's not to say they lose any aspect of their individual identity and personality, it's just that there must be some kind of modeling behaviour going. The Xmas kittens were perfect examples of this – they bonded with Samson and then started following his lead when it came to vacating their rumpus room home in the morning and coming back at night to eat. In the end if it was good enough for Samson, it was good enough for them.

Share Feral Cat Stories – Canadian Cats 2 (Archie and Otto)

I've covered Archie and Otto in a previous post, but it's good to revisit them to see how wonderful they're doing. Their humans – David and Krista – adopted them from the Meow Foundation in Calgary, Canada. You can read more about them on the 2 July 2009 post on the Meow Foundation website. Archie is the ginger tabby and Otto is the grey tabby.

Cat Herding

This commercial cracked me up. Thanks to David Cataford for the tip.

Feral Family Pics 3

Most of the photos I've posted about the feral cats living on our farm have been cute and somewhat benign. This one is different. I took this photo in February when it was hot and dry and it shows the hunter side of one of our feral cats – Bandit – poised over one of his kills (a rabbit). He looks fierce. When I came across him, it was too late to save the rabbit.

We can't dismiss cats' true nature. They have a hunting instinct. Just the other day I had about five hyped up excited cats running all over the verandah trying to get close to a finch that was perilously balancing on the brick wall. I quickly captured all the cats and put them back into the house in case the finch lost concentration and was snapped up. Luckily she flew into the gum tree and then away. 

Bandit is quite interesting. I've been taking care of the cats for about five years now, and he's tended to keep to himself – he would eat with the other feral cats on the hill but then go off and do his thing for the rest of the day. About two months ago he ventured down towards the major house and to the outside room which we use as the major feeding station. Nows he's planted himself in the vicinity and is integrating to some extent with all the domestic cats. He often lays on the steps to the rumpus room and is comfortable with me stepping over him to go up and down the stairs so I acknowledge his trust and am careful.

He has a hardened look in his eyes but is also exposing his softer side – he actually talks to me and allows me to stroke his back and tail, although he occasionally hisses if I get too presumptuous. 

Rural and outback Australia has lots of rabbits (they are introduced and not indigenous species). About 20 years ago we had several rabbit warrens on the farm including one on the hill where the cattery is now. When the feral cats moved in, the rabbits moved out and we rarely see them now. We also don't appear to have rats or mice so some people would argue that the cats (domestic and feral) are earning their keep. For the record, I try to save any animal that is hurt – rodent or other mammal, reptile, bird, or insect – but I have to admit that the farm is quite clean because of the cats. What I mean by that is that there are no plagues or infestations that could compromise the health of the farm stock or do any major damage. One could say ... if you look after feral cats, they will also look after you.