We have two outside cats we consider ours. Walter allows us to pet and handle him. He gets his annual exams and his monthly dose of Revolution. We sometimes don’t see him for a couple of weeks at a time. I suspect I know where he goes, but I don’t know for sure. Zelda allowed us to trap her last year, so she has been spayed, examined, and got her first set of vaccinations. Although she’s here almost every day demanding a can (or two) of food, she won’t let us get within reach of her. She has been disdainful of the trap, so her vaccinations are, regretably, not current. She does get a monthly dose of flea medication ground up in her food. I’ve been able to do that for her.

Then there are the cats the game camera captures. The ones that run if I walk around the edge of the porch.

We call this handsome kitty, Black Swirl. He doesn’t have a real name yet (none of these do). I also haven’t seen him in several weeks, but I believe he’s a littermate of Nick’s, from Zelda’s second to last litter.

This kitty has been around the longest, I call him Orange Tabby. I was concerned about his health for awhile, but he seems quite healthy now. He also is a sprayer. I can get within about 15 feet of him before he runs.

This calico girl is a mama cat who spends most of her time 4-5 houses down the block having kittens. I spoke to the man who owns the house she hangs out. He does feed her, but he doesn’t consider her his cat — his cat lives indoors all the time.  She’s a pretty girl. I haven’t seen as many kittens down there, so there’s a chance he got her caught and spayed some time in the last six months to a year.

I’m not sure what to make of this kitty. I call it Gray Sock’s Ghost, because it looks just like him. It may be a girl cat. Not sure yet. I was watching it through the window yesterday afternoon and decided to take it a can, but it bolted and ran as I approached the porch with the bowl in my hand. UPDATE: Definitely a boy cat.

It’s been a couple months since I’ve recorded either the raccoon or the opossum on the game camera. I’ll be watching to see what this year brings for this class of neighborhood kitties. I’m sure some of it will be heartbreaking, but you never know.