The Return of the Cats

The Indy Feral volunteer came back with the six cats that had been trapped in our yard, now all spayed and neutered and given their shots. In addition to the original five, a largish male cat I hadn't seen beforegot trapped later that day. He looked well fed and didn't freak out too much when I came to the cage to cover it up, so I wondered if he might be someone's pet. He wasn't fixed, though, and had no collar or tag, so off he went when the volunteer came back.All three of the kittens, Peaches, Shasta, and Shankar are male. The momma cat, with the swollen face, had a chicken bone stuck in her cheek, which they removed. The two adults, tortoiseshells that we are assuming are sisters, have names now. We were calling them "Momma" and "Aunt," but they deserve real names now that we've payed to get them spayed, so now they are Maddie and Addie. Not that they probably care, but it gives us something to call them. All of the cats have their left ear tip cut so that they can be recognized as having gone through Indy Feral.When the volunteer opened their cages, most of the cats sat there and couldn't figure out what to do. We were standing nearby, which probably scared them. But once they did venture out they took off pretty quick. Maddie even climbed over the fence.This morning I put the food out and saw Peaches, Shasta, and Shankar come to eat. Then this solid charcoal grey cat shows up, as well as a kitten I think was the one we had called Slinky, but then had never seen again. I'm afraid we may end up having to get some more cats trapped! We're going to get some shelters for them for the winter to put in the yard.In other news, Stephan and I were both on Fall Break from our college teaching at the end of the week, so yesterday we drove down to Brown County State Park and took a trail. The leaves are not at their peak yet, but the air has turned nice and crisp. I made slow-cooked chicken stew and E. came over for dinner. Now that it is colder but we haven't turned on any heat yet, Varda likes to sleep glued between me and Athena. Once the heat comes on, she will probably sleep right on top of the vent, like she usually does.This morning I got an acorn squash and some turnips at the farmer's market, among other things. I love fall vegetables!