What happens when you get up on a Monday morning and you don’t have a topic for your blog that day? What do you do when you didn’t take time over the weekend to outline a few potential blogs or even jot down an idea or two? You could panic, like I started to this morning. Or you could do a little research—find out what’s trending in cat-dome—what cat stories are in the news, check in with your own cats for ideas, think about conversations you’ve had about friends’ and acquaintances’ cats, look at past posts, peruse the cat-a-day-calendar for topics, look back at my many, many photos of cats…
That’s what I did to come up with today’s topic. I’d like to feature cats on patrol. For years,
Neighborhood Garden Cat
animal shelter workers and cat rescue group leaders have worked diligently to find homes for the hundreds of unwanted cats left on their doorstep each year. Some shelter directors have found ways to put some of the less adoptable cats to work offering a community service while saving their lives. And these cats are in demand. In Chicago, they sell feral cats for as much as $200 to combat the cities serious rat problem.
Local shelters in Natchez, MS promote groups of hunting cats for businesses and farmers with outbuildings, barns, shops, etc.
In the Los Angeles area, ratters have been working in police station parking lots and mousers have been keeping things under control inside the stations for years.
But sometimes a free-agent cat can become a nuisance. I’ve told you about Rocket, our neighborhood terrorist cat. Well, he has moved on to a property with more acreage and more possums, rats, mice…yes, and even birds to keep him busy.
I’ve mentioned the fact that our cats stay inside, but we still have cats on patrol in our neighborhood…gentle, sweet cats that I actually enjoy seeing in the yard. Not only are the birds coming back since Rocket left, but I’m enjoying more cats in the yard. Suddenly, we see more of Joy (the petite part Siamese) and Blackie from across the street and George (a Maine coon female they thought was…well, you know how hard sexing a kitten is…).
And our cats get along with these gentle beings. Rocket used to pick fights with them through the windows. Now Sophie and Lily loll next to a screen door all relaxed while watching the other cats patrol the neighborhood, stop off for a bath, curl up on our deck for an afternoon nap, or just wander through our safe haven.
It’s nice to have a little of both the kitty world and the bird world and I do enjoy capturing both with my camera.
