Another Winter for Rusty

Each winter I fear will be his last.

But with his determination and spirit, he always makes it through.

Rusty, our pet feral cat, came to us over 14 years, that we can figure.

Actually I think he has been around longer than that, as I remember our pet cat chasing him out of the yard, and he has been gone for over 15 years.

He refuses to come in the house - the wild in him just won't allow it.

But he is with us every time we step outside.

He follows us to get the mail, to shovel the snow, or just to walk around the house.

If we are working outside, he will be laying beside us, keeping us company and purring all the while.

He permits a pat, just barely tolerates being picked up, but when the brush comes around, he can't get enough of it.

He has put his winter heft and thick coat of fur back on.

And he is still at the door every morning and evening - he is not about to miss a meal.

We will continue our care for him as long as he wants to stay around.

And from the look of him, I believe he will make it through another tough New England winter.

ABC Wednesday - U is for Unblinking

U is for Unblinking..........




 

He stares straight ahead.

Unblinking.

Totally ignoring the black clicking thing that sometimes gets too close for his liking.

 Not letting anything get to him, he held this pose as I closed in on him.

He could only stand it for so long though.

After the click, he just had to get up and leave.

I do appreciate the cooperation that he so sparingly bestows on me though.

Every once in a while I can get a decent photo of our feral cat, Rusty.

 

This is the ninth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.

Cat and Light

Cat and Light

He posed just right for me.

Sitting on the step overlooking the solar light, he sat there just long enough for me to grab this shot.

That pot now has a beautiful patch of basil growing in it.

It's so tall the light has been fully engulfed.

There's no way Rusty would sit next to it now like this.

That basil smell is just not to his liking.

But if it were catnip, I bet I wouldn't be able to keep him out of it!

ABC Wednesday - C is for Cat Tail

C is for Cat Tail............







I knew he was outside with me - I had seen him when I was out in the backyard.

My last stop before I went in was to stop in front of an iced over bush in the driveway.

Concentrating on the camera settings and focus, I stood quite still for a bit in one place.

When I finished and went in my pocket for my lens cover, I saw that crazy cat.

Rusty, our feral cat, had silently crept over to me, and sat at my feet.

And proceeded to drape his tail over my boot.

He stood watch, but I think he was really thinking that he was in charge, and I could leave when he decided I could.

Either way, I had to smile.

He is feral, and to have him stand by me is a special gift from him.








This is the eighth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.

Kitty Update

Kitty Update







We have an update on the kitty that I posted about in my last post.

The little newcomer would let us get just close enough to pat the top of her head but nothing more.

If we bent down at all, she was off in a flash.

What probably didn't help was that any time we were paying any kind of attention to her, Rusty would be right by our side - wanting the attention too.

Keep in mind that he is a very independent feral cat - around at meal time and gone the rest of the time.

We never saw so much of him as when the kitty was here.

But he was pretty patient with her considering she was his competition.

My son came home one evening around 10 pm, and there was the kitty on the steps.

She didn't run away or protest at all when he bent to read her tag with his flashlight.

It had the name "Boots" with a phone number under it engraved on the front.

We called the number and the neighbors, about a 1/3 of a mile down the road said she had been missing for about a week.

She was only 4 months old, and they said they thought she was a he, but they weren't sure.

Figured they would know once they got her fixed.

I am thinking she must have wandered off and got lost.

Glad she was reunited with her family!

A Faithful Buddy

A Faithful Buddy







I have posted about this little kitty in several of my previous posts, and this is another one that is featuring him.

He is the feral cat who took a liking to us about ten years ago.

He won't come in the house, but will wait patiently outside the door for food to appear.

Twice a day - and he is never disappointed.

We were worried about him this past winter, thinking it might be his last, but he pulled through with the strength that has kept him going all these years.

Whenever I am outside - gardening, hanging laundry, or just walking around, he never fails to join me, standing guard and watching if I am staying in one spot, or following me if I'm walking.

He is loving these warmer days and the sunbaths that he lounges in each afternoon.

These next few months will be easier for him and we will make sure he enjoys them as much he can.

Time for a Dusting

Time for a Dusting









Even though he is a feral cat, we keep an eye on him when he begins to start itching or twitching just a little too much.

He needs our assistance when a stubborn tick gets a hold of him, and when the fleas move in, we usually give him a dusting.

And he is not a happy camper when that happens.

We sweet talk him and hide the dust behind our back as we walk towards him pretending nothing is out of the ordinary.

But he knows every time and takes off in a hurry - we have got to come up with a new approach.

Because as much as he doesn't like it, after seeing several flea bites pictures online, we don't want any of those nasty bugs getting a hold of us either!

Care for an Older Feral Cat

An Older Feral Cat








We have been caring for this feral cat for many years now, and I fear this winter is going to be hard on him as he is starting to show his age.

He has no interest in coming inside the house, but if we are outside, he will be close by, waiting patiently for a pat, or most importantly, a meal.

We could hold the front door open all day long, and he will poke his head in, but will not enter, even after all these years.

I thought I might find some older cat care info online for feral cats or outdoor cats, but I am not having much luck.

We will continue to care for him as long as he allows it and will deal with anything that might come along with it when it happens - hopefully not for a long while.

I did run across a website that is having a FREE Pet Photo Contest! that caught my attention.

A couple times over the past few years he has been obliging enough for me to catch a few good images of him.

Here are the details if you are interested:

Is your pet cute enough to win you $300?
Enter the Anamigo Pet Photo contest and find out.
Entries that get the most votes will win daily and weekly cash prizes.
You could win:
- Daily prize of $25. (You have 7 days to win!)
- Weekly prize of $125

Get your camera out and email your friends. Your furry friend could bring you in cash!

Most Popular Photos

Most Popular Photo

I have a voting system in place on my website that allows the viewer to rate my photos.

All the images that have been rated, are shown on the Most Popular page, which is a link along the top of every page on the website.

While browsing through the images, the viewer will notice a "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" when they hover over the photo. Clicking on one of them rates the image.

The photo above of the Sleeping Kitty has held the number one spot for many weeks now. Another image of him holds the number three spot as of this posting.

It has been interesting these last few months to see the images change positions as my viewers rate them.

I like to watch when a new one appears on the end and makes it's way up the line.

Clicking on any of the photos in any of my blog posts will bring you to my website where you can also vote.

It also shows you a larger view of the image which really brings out the details.

I encourage you to vote and thank you for all the votes you have made already!







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ABC Wednesday - S

(The Wordless Wednesday post is beneath this post.)

S is for Soft yet Sharp .......

While the cat was dozing on the warm hood of the car, I slowly and quietly crept up on him and snapped a few photos.

This soft, furry paw is so enticing to stroke - the fur is almost hiding his sharp claws.

I've seen them in action many times, and I would not want to cross this tough little feral cat.

After cracking open an eye to prove I wasn't getting anything over him, he cast a disgusting glance at the black box that is always after him, and went back to napping.

Nothing was going to interrupt his warm delicious nap on this chilly afternoon.






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ABC Wednesday - N

(The Wordless Wednesday post is beneath this post.)

N is for Napping Kitty.......

This feral cat adopted us about 5 years ago, shortly after our cat had passed away.

He appears at the front door each morning for some breakfast, and makes another round about supper time for a handout.

He is very wary of anyone but us, and I was fortunate enough to catch him one evening as he was napping.







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Evening Catnap

For the last couple of years, we have had a feral cat that has adopted us as his family. We have appropriately named him "Rusty".





He tends to be skittish especially around people he doesn't know, but every morning he is at the front door looking for his breakfast.

We don't know where he came from, but we used to see him around several years ago when our cats were still alive. Lately we have been seeing a small fluffy gray haired cat hanging around. I think it realizes that Rusty is getting older and it is getting bolder.

If it ever warms up to us as Rusty has I should be able to catch it napping also.