Let’s check on the cats.

Three cats from the temporary side cam (aka mobile cam), from before I installed the cat door:

Pumpkin peeking from inside the cat house:

Peering around the corner:

Porcini closeup:

Between cabins:

Twins:

Checking out the cat door installation:

Um, there seems to be a hole in the wall:

Three cats:

Four cats:

Poppy and Pumpkin inside:

Pumpkin between cabins:

Heading out, don’t mind me:

Another day, both cabins occupied by the same cats again:

Paladout closeup:

Paladout arriving, watched by two others; they seem to be getting used to him:

Three cats:

Jumping onto the camera housing:

A sequence of Pumpkin squirming off the deck, while Paladout watches from around the corner:

Two cats:

It seems like just yesterday that it was Caturday, but here we are again.

Pumpkin, handsome as ever:

I’m beginning to get the impression that Pumpkin and Portabella (aka Bella) don’t get along; there were a few incidents with them this week, starting with this one where Pumpkin arrived, and instead of his usual polite hanging back, rushed forward and swiped at Bella as she rapidly egressed:

A cat under a tree in our field:

Porcini and Pommie:

Porcini looking at the camera, with a couple more in the background:

I mentioned last time that I plan to add a back door to the feeder. I was originally going to put it above the feeder, but I decided it’d be easier and in some ways better to instead go through the wall next to the access door. So I moved the water dispenser outside, and cleaned out the leaves:

The water dispenser next to the heated water dish and camera:

Something’s different:

Bella about to jump onto the camera housing:

A twin by the cabins:

Bella inside the house:

Pumpkin arrived, and they had another incident, with Bella and Pumpkin having a bit of a fight. Again, I think they have a personality conflict; with Poppy, Pumpkin would just hang back, but with Bella he went on the offensive:

After some swiping and bad language, he went out the front, and she went out the back.

Peeking at Pumpkin:

A twin (probably Pommie) and Pumpkin in the cabins:

Paladout on the deck, Pumpkin approaching:

Paladout backed away:

Pumpkin started rolling around and rubbing on the edge of the deck, without a care in the world, while Paladout cautiously watched from the feeder:

The twins, looking rather freaked out by the strong winds:

And others similarly concerned:

Paladout from the mobile camera:

Pumpkin:

I then moved the mobile camera to next to the cat house, in anticipation of installing the back door. Porcini watched me from a safe distance:

The mobile camera in a new location. Now I just need to wait for the rain to stop long enough to install the new cat door (to the right of the access door):

Finally, one more look at Pumpkin, half out of a cabin:

132 pictures filtered down to 29 this week.

The cats have continued to enjoy the new platform and cabins. Ironically, especially Pumpkin:

He’s been spending more time in the cabins than in the cat house. Here he is having a drink:

Paladout has also been showing up most days, and checked out the cabins, though hasn’t been in one:

The other cats have been enjoying them too. Here’s Pommie:

Poppy and Pumpkin are happy to be neighbors, if Poppy arrives first:

Double-decker cats:

A rapid egress from the feeder when Pumpkin comes out, due to the food dispensing:

Three cats:

Poppy and Porcini:

Poppy and Porcini looking contented:

That contentment didn’t last, though; a few minutes later, Pumpkin arrived, and was greeted (warned off) by Porcini:

Then Poppy had a turn greeting Pumpkin:

Pumpkin really wanted to hang out, though:

He’s disappointed that both cabins are occupied:

After a couple of minutes, he gave up and went elsewhere, so Poppy and Porcini could relax again:

A bit later, after they left, Pumpkin had his chance, discovered by a returning Poppy:

Four cats; can you see them all?

Pumpkin chilling while a cat eats:

Pumpkin sleeping while I approach the bird box:

Pumpkin spots me:

With Pumpkin hanging out at the cabins so much, the other cats can brave the house; here’s Bella spending the night:

Pumpkin in the house, one cat eating, and three outside:

A bit of a queue while waiting for Paladout to get out:

Paladout was feeling trapped, and Poppy got tired of waiting:

Pommie and Pumpkin:

Again I startled Pumpkin when I approached the bird box; here’s a nice photo of him:

I did try talking to him, but he acted like a feral cat. He may be feral or stray, but doesn’t seem to be comfortable around humans. I will keep trying.

Screenshot of cat cams, showing a cat in a cabin, a cat waiting on the cat house deck, Pumpkin in the house, and Paladout in the feeder, again:

Paladout feeling trapped, Pumpkin peeking, and Bella wanting to get to the food:

I have a plan to add a back door (emergency exit) to the feeder, going through the wall above the food dish.  With this happening a couple of times this week, I have made it more of a priority (probably after Christmas; won’t have time before that).

Let’s finish with a sleepy Pumpkin at the cabins:

I made a new thing for the cats. Read on to see it. But first, the usual.

Two cats on the awning, one in the feeder:

Two cats in the cabin, and a third wanting to join them (it’s only big enough for two adult cats):

Four cats:

Two cats inside the house:

Pumpkin:

Two cats snuggling in the cabin:

Overflowing:

Poppy, Porcini, Bella:

Jumping from the awning to the roof:

And back down again:

Which of course freaked out the other two:

A nice last shot of the cabin in the garden (huh?!), with Porcini looking cute:

Two cats arrive, watched by a peeking Pumpkin:

My latest project: I built a platform below our main deck, under the gazebo, to house the old cabin plus a second one. Both cabins are heated. It also has a wall to shelter them from the wind, and a built-in camera watching the two cabins:

I’ll do a post about the construction of it tomorrow. The main motivation was that as I mentioned above, the cabin only fits two cats, and we care for six outdoor ones (including Pumpkin). While there’s plenty of space in the cat house for all of them, the ferals are reluctant to go in there with Pumpkin occupying it much of the time.

I also wanted to move the cabins to under the deck, and up off the ground, so they’d be more sheltered from rain and snow.

Porcini was the first to investicat the new platform and cabins:

Two cats investicating the new cabins platform:

Porcini inside the new cabin:

I temporarily moved the mobile cam to the edge of the path opposite the platform. You can see the deck and gazebo above, the bird food box and garbage bin to the left, and the empty swimming pool area to the right. And two cats near the new platform:

Chasing:

Between cabins:

Poppy went inside the old cabin; something I hadn’t ever seen her do before (this year anyway); it was exclusively occupied by her (grown) kittens. And of course Pumpkin had to check them out too:

Poppy’s traditional greeting:

Poppy and Porcini:

A screenshot with cats on each cam (5 total):

Both cabins occupied, and a cat peeking:

Three pairs of eyes on Pumpkin approaching:

Pumpkin hung out on the platform for about four hours, much to the consternation of a twin in the left cabin, and the slight interest of Poppy in the right:

Pumpkin on the platform:

This morning, contented cabin dwellers:

This morning Pumpkin decided to try going inside a cabin, while Poppy watched with her trademarked grumpy expression:

He seemed to like it:

Bella approaching, before backing off when seeing Pumpkin:

As I write this, Poppy and Pumpkin are still in the cabins:

It’d be rather ironic if Pumpkin decides he likes the cabin better than the house now. Maybe the others will brave the more spacious house again?