The growling cats

The varying personalities of felines

I’ve shared several stories about the stray cats in my neighborhood and as time goes by I notice how distinctly different they are. Honey is the kitty who warmed up to my granddaughter and now sleeps in the cat bed on the front porch. I had noticed her and several companions about a year ago when they were not yet fully grown. They ran through the alley and sometimes past the side of my house but I had no idea how they survived.

Honey rubs against our legs and when my oldest son was sitting on the porch recently she jumped into his lap. Her companions have watched her eating and interacting with us but they remain apprehensive. Butterscotch who resembles Honey and Tabby the orange Tabby will now eat the food we put out but they behave differently.

Butterscotch growls when we get close to her and it almost sounds like a howl from deep within and she makes the noise I recall cats making when they are about to fight and Boots actually growled like that and hissed the first night we had her home from the shelter. Tabby looks at us grabs food and backs away apprehensively always with her eyes on us as if saying "I dare you to come any closer."

My house cat escaped

Earlier today Boots my gray house Tabby was on my lap and when he jumped down he went towards the kitchen. About 10 minutes later I opened the front door to check the mail but there was none. An hour later I went to check the mail again and there was Boots sitting curled up in a chair on the front porch. I have no idea how he got out unless he ran past me when I first checked the mail. I did not see him and I certainly did not feel him go past my leg as I looked in the mailbox which is on the side of the door.

My porch looked like a cat hotel with Boots in the chair, Honey in the opposite chair, Tabby walking back and forth, and Butterscotch in the yard. I had not heard any sounds of fighting so I guess they all were getting along. I'm praying that Boots's interaction with the outdoor cats did not expose him to any diseases they might have. Just last week the three strays ran through the alley and did not give us the time of day and now it looks like they are settling in from a distance.

Now a dog has been added to the mix

Boots has no idea how well he has it being a house cat and is always trying to get outside. I'm thankful he did not run away and was glad to come back in when I opened the door. Honey is always on the outside trying to get into the house so they are quite a pair. My only concern is that my neighbor two houses down now has a half-grown pit bull. There are trees in my yard and I know all the cats can run fast but I still am concerned that the dog might frighten them or even try to chase them.

These cats are quite an adventure and give me much to write about. I still don't like the fact that Butterscotch growls like she is demon-possessed Tabby struts like he owns the place and they eat the food but remain distant. It's like their attitude is saying feed me, give me water then leave me the heck alone. I've gone from one house cat to dealing with three additional outdoor felines and a pit bull but I will manage. This keeps me busy and helps me not to feel the pain of the death of my husband so I guess these critters have a purpose.