Spirit

I haven't written much because it has been a pretty quiet summer.  Jazz, the only Logan Gang member, was around a lot this summer but about 4-5 weeks ago he has been out of sight for the most part.  I see him occasionally so I know he's fine.  Ollie and Spirit, the 2 remaining cats from the Eastside Gang, have been at every feeding.  All was well until this weekend.

Friday Ollie and Spirit ate well at both a.m. and p.m. feedings.  Saturday Spirit didn't come running out to greet me which he does meowing the whole time.  I found him curled up near his winter sleeping shelter.  Every visit I made he was in the same spot and would not eat.  He gave me a little meow each time but made no moves to get up or eat.  I was really worried.  If he wouldn't eat I had little chance of coaxing him into a carrier or trap.

Spirit

Spirit curled up

This morning I woke up to rain and my first thought was Spirit.  Did he get up from his spot and find shelter or was he still there and now soaking wet.  I was nervous about what I would find as I walked the path.  I was almost at the end of the path and out popped Spirit, meowing.  I as so excited and pleased to see him.

Spirit ate a small amount of food but I had come prepared and opened a different flavour and he ate a wee bit so I opened a third can and again he ate a tiny bit.  I don't usually leave food because even during the day the raccoons are known to show up and devour everything but this morning I did.  I left four bowls of different flavours of canned food and some dry.

Before I left I saw Spirit take a drink of water, again not a lot but a little something was better than nothing.  Then Spirit walked into the little A-frame I made last year to keep extra straw bales clean and dry.  He sometimes sleeps in there and today that was he preferred spot.

Spirit in the A-frame

At 5 p.m. when I returned Spirit came out of the A-frame meowing.  He licked the gravy from assorted bowls of food and he ate a few Temptations treats.

Finally eating a little

The bowls of food from the morning had not been eaten by raccoons but small amounts were gone from a couple of bowls so I think Spirit ate a little.

I have no idea what was going on with Spirit but I really thought I was going to lose him and I was trying to prepare myself for this possibility.  He has never behaved like this before.  Both he and Ollie are about 14 years old now which is pretty incredible for feral cats.   

I will be back to see Spirit first thing in the morning.

No news is good news....

Not a lot has been happening in my colony and that's great.  I go everyday to feed, sometimes twice a day.

Now that winter is behind us I usually sit with Spirit and Ollie while they eat.  I spray myself with mosquito repellant first otherwise I would be eaten alive.  We had such a wet spring the mosquitos are out in full force.  I see them rubbing their front legs together in anticipation as I approach the cat's feeding area.  I can almost hear them say, yay dinner has arrived!!

Ollie and Spirit are both long haired cat so they have had some serious mats which I can't removed because these kitties won't let me touch them.  Ollie gets really fluffy in the winter so when the spring arrives she becomes a walking mat.  Just this past week she was able to remove a huge mat from her backside.  She is such a tiny cat in the summer.

Ollie managed to pull off this last huge mat
that was as the base of her tail/right hip

Ollie relaxing finally mat free

Although Spirit sheds and gets mats he seems to keep most of his long fur all year long except around his neck.  He walks around with what appears to be a big furry body and a scrawny neck with a head attached until the fur fills in a bit after the mats have been pulled off.

I wish I could groom both of these kitties but I can't even touch them.

Baby Robin

Every spring a pair of robins nest close by the East Side Gang.  And every spring I worry that the babies will survive when the cats are so close.

A couple of days ago as I was walking the path back to the feeding area for Ollie and Spirit I notice an adult robin on the path.  Then I realized that a baby robin must be close.  Sure enough I saw a young robin learning to fly. Actually this little bird knows how to fly but he is still spending a lot of time close to the ground.  

Yesterday I saw mom and dad robin so I knew baby was around.  I was happy this little guy was ok.  While I was sitting with the kitties during their meal I heard chirping. I looked up to see both parents a few feet away which meant baby was there too.  This was just a little too close to the kitties.  I moved towards the birds and the parents flew in opposite directions but not too far.  There on the path sat baby robin.  I knew where Ollie was but Spirit had wandered off and I had no idea where he was.  Thankfully baby robin flew up into the trees away from the cats area.

When I was leaving the cats one of the adult robins flew by with a worm or bug in its beak.  I stopped to watch.  The parent sat on a low branch looking around.  I backed off a little and then saw the parent fly down into the tall grass below to feed baby.  

Today I didn't see or hear the robins when I arrived but as I was leaving the area after feeding Spirit and Ollie I saw the parents and the baby.  

I love watching the happy side of nature.