Cat update for week ending June 8

I’m back from San Jose, and catching up with things… including reviewing the cat cam footage for the week (or as many days as the cameras record; it varies based on memory card capacity and camera resolution).

Here’s Portabella requesting breakfast:

Portabella

Another encounter with the orange cat; it’s being quite a menace:

Orange cat encounter

A good stretch:

Stretch

This is a funny expression; she looks startled, but is actually just in the middle of licking her lips after eating:

Mid-licking lips

One of the cats threw up outside the feeder, and a scrub jay was helping itself:

Bird

However, things didn’t go as planned for the bird; a cat was inside the shelter, and chased it. Here’s a sequence of motion-blurred images, of the bird flying into the feeder, chased by the cat, then out again between the cats legs. Don’t worry, the bird got away:

Cat and bird

A few hours later, another bird, a steller’s jay, came to finish off the food; I guess it didn’t see what happened to the other one:

Bird

It was more successful, and also helped itself to extra cat food. They are such pretty birds:

Bird

Two cats eating breakfast:

Two cats eating

Two cats inside the shelter:

Two cats inside

Four cats inside; three upstairs, one down:

Four cats inside

Three cats snuggling on the heating pad:

Snuggles

One cat scratching the tree, while two are in the feeder, and one on the deck:

Scratching tree

I hadn’t seen all five cats for a while, so was pleased to see them here (one outside, one in the shelter, three in the feeder):

Five cats

Three cats inside when another arrives:

Four cats inside

Snuggle pile:

Snuggles

Cat update for week ending June 1

We may have new chicks and ducklings, but let’s not forget the cats! A Caturday between the Hawaii and WWDC trips.

Four cats on a foggy morning:

Four cats

Three cats inside:

Three cats inside

Pepper in the shop; this is the last shot of her from this camera, as it has been moved into the duck house, as was originally intended; I was just using this for her until it was needed there. (There’s another lower-res camera over by her food, but it doesn’t record as reliably.)

Pepper in the shop

An encounter with the alien orange cat:

Orange cat encounter

The orange cat in turn had an encounter with an inquisitive deer:

Orange cat and deer

A cat in the feeder:

Cat in feeder

One eating, one waiting on the deck:

Cat in feeder

A sleepy Poppy in the shelter:

Cat inside

A cat arrives while others are eating breakfast:

Cat arrives

A comfy Poppy again:

Cat inside

A scrub jay keeps visiting the feeder and taking food (could be multiple, who knows); one day it might end badly for it:

Bird in feeder

Two cats in the feeder:

Cats in feeder

Another orange cat encounter. It arrived (barely visible off to the left):

Orange cat encounter

And four cats scattered:

Orange cat encounter

There’s the bird again:

Bird

Cat update for week ending May 25

Just because we’re in Hawaii, doesn’t mean you need to suffer the loss of a Caturday post! Here’s a post with pictures from the few days before we left.

It’s bothered me since building the cat house that the signs weren’t very readable, as they just had a stain without any color difference of the carved lettering (you can see them towards the end of this construction post). So I recently used a marker to color the lettering, making them much more visible:

Cat house

Here’s a closer view. The coloration of the scull shape is just natural weathering:

Cat house

Breakfast time:

Breakfast time

A scrub jay has visited several times to grab some kibble out of the feeder:

Scrub jay

Going back for more:

Scrub jay

A squirrel:

Squirrel

The squirrel leapt onto the camera housing. Flying squirrel!

Squirrel leaping

Oh yeah, this is supposed to be a cat post. Here are the twins:

Twin cats

Two happy cats inside:

Cats inside

The alien orange cat has been visiting a lot recently. Here he is inside the shelter:

Orange cat inside

Another time, the orange cat arrived when a cat was inside. Harsh words and swipes were exchanged, and the cat rapidly exited through the back door:

Orange cat facing cat inside

The next morning, the orange cat arrived when Porcini was obliviously eating in the feeder:

Orange cat with cat in feeder

They didn’t exchange any words, but the orange cat wandered off after a minute:

Orange cat with cat in feeder

Then he ate a bit:

Orange cat in feeder

But was startled by more food dispensing:

Orange cat startled

Pepper in the shop:

Pepper in the shop

The alien gray cat also stopped by briefly:

Gray cat

Another squirrel:

Squirrel

And scrub jay, with food in its beak:

Scrub jay

That’s all for now. I may include some pictures from while we’re away in the post next week; most cameras record about a week’s worth, so I’ll review them when we get home.

Cat update for week ending May 18

I had 71 cat pictures this week, but pared it down to just 18. You’re welcome.

More dinner please? A couple of cats waiting for more food in the evening.

More dinner please?

The same cats a few minutes later, relaxing on the deck:

Two cats on the deck

Another arrives:

Three cats

A cat is startled by the sudden arrival of another, and rears up:

A cat is startled

Four cats at breakfast time:

Four cats

Waiting for more breakfast:

Waiting for more breakfast

I got a bale of straw for the duck house, which I put in the shop, and Pepper has been having fun playing with loose bits of straw. I think she’s been sitting on the bale, and scratching at it, too. I’m fine with that; she’s also guarding it to make sure no mice nest in it:

Pepper playing with straw

A scrub jay making poor life choices by eating cat food while a cat is in the house, as captured by a screenshot of my iPad cam app (it was fine; the cat was too comfy to move):

A bird making poor life choices

Still very comfy:

Comfy cat

Squirrel:

Squirrel

The orange cat paid a visit:

Orange cat

Followed by a possum 17 minutes later:

Possum

And a raccoon a couple of hours after that:

Raccoon

A couple of cats watch a couple of deer:

Deer & cats

The deer have been hanging around a lot recently, nibbling on our flowers (grrr):

Deer

A rare sighting of Pansy in the back of the shop:

Pansy

A cat at the bee water pool (that linked post included a couple of night-time cat sightings too):

Cat at bee water

Three cats:

Cats

Cat update for week ending May 11

Welcome to another Caturday.

A good yawn:

Good yawn

Four cats:

Four cats

Big stretch:

Stretch

Dinner greetings:

Dinner greetings

An alien cat:

Alien cat

Three cats; eyes in the dark:

Three cats

Breakfast:

Breakfast

A scrub jay helping itself to cat food, several times:

Bird

Pepper contemplating her water dish in the shop:

Pepper in the shop

The scrub jay returns:

Bird

I currently have the mobile camera watching the small pond next to the cat house, as it recently had a leak where water was overflowing the liner of the stream, causing the water level to go down quickly. The camera was so I could see when it was low and top it up. I’ve since fixed the leak, but have left the camera there for now. It captured a cat drinking from that pond:

Cat drinking from pond

They have a water dispenser in the feeder area, but I’m sure pond water is tastier. Here’s the cat looking through the grasses:

Cat by pond

Cat update for week ending May 4

It’s that time again!

Three cats for breakfast:

Breakfast cats

A comfy Poppy inside the shelter:

Comfy cat

A couple of cats outside:

Cats outside

Three cats outside:

Three cats outside

Three cats inside:

Three cats inside

Two cats walk together out of the feeder:

Two cats

Cats

Four cats:

Four cats

Poppy has a very big yawn:

Big yawn

Poppy arrives for breakfast:

Breakfast

Cat update for week ending April 27

Welcome to another Caturday. Some new alien cat sightings this week!

But first, a relaxed cat inside the shelter:

Relaxed cat

Even more relaxed:

More relaxed cat

Perhaps too relaxed — almost fell off, but scrambled up:

Too relaxed cat

On to the parade of aliens. Firstly, the alien gray cat (with a collar) we’ve seen before:

Alien gray cat

A new alien cat; at first glance looks like one of our ferals, but is a bit larger, and doesn’t have they ear-tip marking as a fixed feral:

New alien cat

A possum:

Possum

A raccoon:

Raccoon

The orange cat:

Orange cat

Speaking of, the orange cat went inside the shelter, and was followed by a possum. They had a bit of an encounter, and the orange cat chased off the possum:

Orange cat vs possum

Another new alien cat:

New alien cat

There certainly are a lot of cats in the area! We keep our two pet cats (Pippin and Paladin) indoors, for their safety, but it seems many of our neighbors don’t. Growing up in New Zealand, it was standard to have cat doors and let them go outside at will, but there are a lot more dangerous wildlife in the US. Not only the possums and raccoons, but coyotes and several others.

The outdoor ferals are a different case; they grew up outside; it is their home. But they have a much more dangerous life. I do what I can to make it more comfortable for them, by providing the heated shelter and feeder.

Anyway, enough seriousness; let’s have some cuteness. A peeking cat:

Peeking cat

Porcini was early for breakfast:

Porcini

Four cats at breakfast time (one is mostly hidden behind the others):

Four cats

A cat nose from above the camera housing:

Cat nose

Four cats:

Four cats

Mirror images:

Mirror images

Three cats outside. Can’t see the third? look in the field to the left of the cat house:

Three cats

Cat update for week ending April 20

It’s that time of the week again!

Three cats arrive for dinner:

Three cats arrive

They often travel in groups, though can be independent too. I sometimes see one run ahead, then wait for another to catch up. Cats get a reputation for being solitary creatures, but they are really social ones, on their own terms.

Porcini waiting for breakfast, with a smile on her face:

Waiting for breakfast

Four cats inside, enjoying the heating pads:

Four cats inside

A couple of cats looking out the back door (which they only use as an emergency exit):

Looking out the back door

Snuggles:

Snuggles

The alien orange cat arrives, with a cat peeking out the door of the shelter:

Orange cat

They exchange words at the entrance of the shelter, before the orange cat departs:

Orange cat encounter

Hey look, more snuggles:

Snuggles

Pansy in the back of the shop, reaching for food:

Pansy reaching for food

A cat watches as a deer walks past; there were several in the field, too:

Deer

One cat eating, looking back at another cat arriving:

Arriving cat

Me mowing the field near the cat house. No cats home at the time, unsurprisingly:

Mowing

Pepper walking over floor joists of the duck house (I did leave a clear path next to it, which she usually uses):

Pepper walking over floor joists

Can we have too many snuggles? I think not:

Snuggles

Scratching; I did recently give the cats a flea treatment in their food, though only one or two of them ate it; it’s hard to ensure they all get a dose, so all I can do is put it out and hope it helps:

Scratching