December 4, 2019
Sunday afternoon Matt came in saying Panther (our outside cat was fighting with Macaroni our inside/outside kitten). When we went to look we realized that it was not Macaroni (who was currently inside) but a full black kitten. Monday the Black Kitten was back, and Tuesday. Tuesday it was up near the house, clearly under nourished. One of our College age daughters was visiting and went to check on it. It did not want to be picked up but would rub between and around her legs and cry. I know they say never to feed feral cats or they won't leave. I felt bad for it though and really I don't object to it, as long as it stays outside. I don't think Panther agrees, but I figure if the kitten and Panther have enough of an issue, Panther can run it off. I was chopping chicken for dinner and let the girls give the kitten a tiny bit of it, then as we watched it devour the chicken like a starving child, I let the girls give it a little dry cat food, and I brought out the pan the chicken was cooked in so it could drink out the warm juices from it. That seemed to satisfy her little tummy and she soon ran off.
The girls named her Ninja.
When we moved here we built an outside shelter for a cat, thinking our outside cat would live outside. When our first shelter cat disappeared and we feared a wild animal had gotten to it, we started locking up our 2nd Shelter cat at night in the shop. As winter approached we insulated the outside shelter that we had moved to the shop thinking the cat would like to be even warmer in the shop. She has rejected it, and instead has a variety of spots around the shop she prefers, including some old hay we got for the bunny we keep in a box and the cat likes to sleep on.
Our original plan was to keep the shelter under our back porch steps to make it easier to feed the outside cat.
I just moved the shelter and a tarp there. It is much drier under the porch and with the entrance facing the house, but plenty far away from it to enter, a cat could be mostly protected from the wind. I hope the tarp will help keep the house dry. It may not be needed, but hopefully won't hurt :) I may adjust it some the next time I go out with real snow gear, but it is also possible the tarp would freeze to the ground by then.
I don't know if the cat will accept it or not. We will see.
