Gray Socks Ghost stopped by yesterday afternoon when I was preparing a can for Zelda on the side porch. As an experiment, I placed the bowl with food on the heat pump ductwork and sat on the steps. That puts me close but out of reach. I waited. Zelda was confused. Where was her food? Eventually, she noticed where it was. I waited. I thought Gray Socks Ghost wasn’t going to show up, but I stood up, and he was on the ductwork just under the house out of view. I sat back down. I encouraged him to come on out. Zelda sat under the porch sniffing.

Eventually, he walked out and began eating. I was able to speak to him, and he kept eating. Zelda appeared behind him on the ductwork. He rebuffed her, so she resorted to sniffing his behind. She worked her way up to wait for him to finish. When he had finished nearly all the food, he turned and walked away. I got Zelda another can and fed her on the back porch.

You know the drill. If Gray Socks Ghost is going to eat here, he needs to be caught, tested, and, if healthy, neutered and vaccinated. Today he started the process of becoming an outdoor Love Cat — unless I find out he belongs to someone. He comes from the direction of the calico mama cat (who lives as a house but is not “owned” by the person who lives there). She may be his mama, and he may be from Gray Socks last litter.  Gray Socks Ghost is a young mature male.