Of a feral cat

When we came here, one night last autumn we left a bowl of scraps the dogs had rejected outside the door.

The dish was cleaned.

So we started leaving food out and it vanished every time. A wide variety was consumed.

A fox? stray dog?

Anything hungry and we will feed it.

Finally only ten days ago, a short glimpse of the south end of a cat going north. And this week, a longer time. A small, scruffy ginger who looks a little fluffy. She let me follow her and I know where she sleeps; the crawl space under a wooden shed.

No stray this; simply a true cat gone feral.

So now she is getting a good diet and we have wormed her.

We think "she" as there has never been any hint of tom cat stink as in previous places, and no aggression to or from our two cats. And we know that if it is a she, there may well be young at some stage. So we wait and watch now; no rush as we need to win her trust slowly and gently. At her pace.. And we are in touch with a rescue here who know that if kittens emerge we cannot keep them here as the collie would kill them.

So they will when the time comes lend a humane trap.

Wonderful to see her demolishing raw chicken now.