Well, look who showed up after being AWOL for weeks!
Of course it was the peach kitty. I haven’t visited him in a while, but my man saw him on the security cameras a few days before he showed up.
He was obviously very happy to see me! But where is he, and why? Perhaps it’s time to talk about one of the biggest dangers facing feral cats — really, any cat that spends time outdoors in our area. We got coyotes.
The interesting thing about coyotes is that they are a greater danger to domestic cats than they are to feral ones. Ferals are very aware of other, larger predators, and they’re pretty good about making themselves difficult. Locally, coyotes spend a lot of time hunting wild game like rabbits and rodents, and sadly, people’s pets. Domestic cats and small dogs are very easy prey for coyotes. Because of their pampered lifestyle, they are unaware of the smell and sound of coyotes.
Ferals are a bit different. Of course, coyotes will catch them when they can, but it’s more likely to be older, sicker cats, injured cats, or kittens that aren’t used to the outdoors. Young adult cats like peach kitty are usually at the peak of their health and consciousness. They know how to avoid coyotes. That’s why peach kitty and her family survived our place for three years.
We recently had a pair of coyotes in the neighborhood. My man did what he could to clear the cloud from them, and drive them away. They were really afraid of him. They probably think he’s crazy (and they’re quite right!). He can be fierce. But until life becomes uncomfortable for them on our street, the ferals will not come around much.
My man also keeps me indoors, though he always scans the place we’re going to hang out before taking me outside. He thought if the savages thought it was not safe to go out, neither did I. That’s why I got to visit peach kitty this week. He saw her and other family members on the security cam for several nights in a row. And no coyotes. So after scanning the area by our bridge, she took me out. And the peach kitty appeared.
Not only was he happy to see me, he was also happy to get treats.
I think he was happy to see my human too, if only because she had the treat bag.
He is still eating out of his hand. But one thing he still didn’t want to do was go inside. He wouldn’t even enter the enclosed patio more than a few steps. Because no matter how friendly he is in photos and videos, he’s still wild, and he can’t bear to be picked up or locked inside. Trapping him now would be more cruel than letting him go free. We encourage him to consider going inside, of course. But it’s still a process. He must choose to give up his free lifestyle in favor of a safer (and duller and smaller) existence.
Think about it: if you have a wild and adventurous spirit and that’s your whole identity, would you be happy locked in a house, unable to leave? That is why my man will not force his desire on her.
So that’s where things stand for now. I hope he will visit me again soon. In the meantime, you can see the video of our visit below.
