Once we were given the task of feeding the cats, their feeding changed from a sporadic to a routine occurrence. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before we were supplementing the food we were being given for the cats, adding wet food to their diet.
At that time, the only regular visitors were The Cat and her son, Ana Half-Tail, and it was the following year that, for the first time we knew of, The Cat would bring her young family to the drive and garden for weaning, to introduce them to solid food. The arrival of a family of kittens in the garden brought with it new responsibilities on the feeding front, and this was when we decided to leave the first free feeding bowls in the garden, enabling the youngsters to dip in and out as they needed inbetween The Cat’s routine meal times.
This was probably also the time that other feral cats from the fields started to visit, noticing the food on offer.
The cat diaries from Year 4 are mostly visual with a chronological gallery of photos documenting the life of The Cat and her family, and here today is a series of photos (taken before the kittens were weaned) showing how The Cat was becoming accustomed to the feeding routine, leaving her family in the field to come to the drive for her meals before returning to them.
I’m sure I can hear the humans in the drive. I wonder if it’s teatime? My stomach certainly thinks it is, and these kittens are permanently hungry…
Sorry kittens, I’m leaving you for a short while. You can amuse yourselves while I’m gone – I won’t be long..
But mamma, what are you doing all the way up there? We’re down here – come back!…
Just a moment – a quick hop and a jump down into the drive, and that bowl will be mine…
Oh no, too slow – Ana’s beaten me to it. How did his head get that big? Budge up, son – your little brother and sisters are waiting for me in the field…
Help me out, humans – I can’t remember where I left the kittens. Was it to the right and behind the rubble wall, or straight ahead and under the prickly pear bush?
