Welcome to their world! My Main Five.

Hi there!  I have decided to start this blog to share the ongoing story of the stray cats in my neighborhood with anyone interested.  Our colony of cats is an interesting one, at least to me, and I hope that will interest you as well!  I first gained so much interest in my strays when I moved into this house in May.  One day moving in my stuff a cat was curled up at my side door.  It looked just like one of MY cats!

Since she looks so much like my cat, Honey, I named her Milk.  I have since confirmed that she is a girl!  

As time passed I noticed she was not the only white cat with a gray head in the neighborhood.  I started to see a cat around with a dark gray patch on the middle of his head, and named him (thinking this might be a girl, too, since confirmed he is a boy) Sugar.  So there was Milk and Sugar.  

I thought, well if there is a third white cat I can call it Cream to go with the theme.  Then Cream showed up!  He looks like Sugar, only bigger, with rounder eyes and a gimpy tail.  I will have pictures of him later on.  So I thought the collection was complete, Milk and Honey, Cream and Sugar.  I had never seen another white cat with gray on its head like my Honey before, certainly there couldn't be more living in my own neighborhood!

I was quite wrong.  This is my "Where did you come from?  What am I supposed to call YOU??" picture.  That is Sugar Bear in the foreground, and that, behind him, that is NOT MILK!  So I decided to call her Splenda.  The girls have gray spots that spread in front of their ears, the boys have the one patch right down the center of their heads.

This was around the time that I started to feed them.  The next door neighbor had already said she feeds them and they live under her house, so I figured she wouldn't mind if they were hanging around from my feeding them too.  They were very nervous around me at first, but I would leave a small bowl of food and walk away.  Slowly I wouldn't walk as far, and Sugar and Milk at least began to run into my yard upon seeing me.  They have been two that I have seen more days than not, more so Sugar.  

After I started feeding them, Marx showed up and has not left since that first week when he realized I was feeding them.  He is always in my yard, and now he always talks to me.  He was the odd man out- not white! He is a gray tabby cat.  He just looked like a Marx, and thankfully he turned out to be a boy.  There will be pictures of him later on as well!

Slowly I have been able to get closer and closer to them, more so than I expected.  Sugar now lets me pet him- even sometimes when I do not have food!  And sometimes he even leans in to my hand.  When there is food, he doesn't startle or lash out at me if I pick him up to redirect him to different food.  He only fusses a little because he wants to get back at the food!  Milk usually lets me pet her when the food is out, occasionally she hisses or protests a little but never lashes out.  Oh and there is news about Milk!  But I will save that for another entry.  Marx still is not comfortable with being pet, but he is getting more comfortable with coming close to me- on his terms.

So those are my main five strays... Four white cats and one gray.  There are a few others I see on occasion, you will meet them soon, too!

I think this about wraps up this portion of their story.  Being a cat person, I am quite happy that the strays have become so comfortable with me, as many people encounter strays that are feral and often nasty when it comes to people.  So far most of mine are open to my presence, at least.

I hope you will come back and read more about this darling group of kitties!  They really brighten my day (in addition to my own three cats and thirteen reptiles!)

~Kakers