Hungry Hungry Kitty

            It was a rainy day.  Perhaps this was the reason for the cat’s behavior out of character.  It was normal feeding time for the stray cats that do appear regularly at my back door.  I was not behind in my scheduled feeding time.  A back bathroom window had me looking out to see how many I should count this time.  It was then I counted thirteen strays waiting.  And other strays would surely come later.  But the ones present already were drenched in rain.  Having a tarp over picnic tables (I have two) gave them all dry spots to wait.

            Hurriedly I made preparation to go out the back door with a bowl of dry food, gravy packages, and several cans of wet cat food.  It had become an expense to feed them.  But giving up certain leisure items of my own, gave me the extra cash to feed them.  I enjoy seeing animals eat who ordinarily would have their lives cut short with starvation.  Some of these cats I do believe do not have the survival techniques.  There’s Sticks that has leukemia.  There’s Ricky that has a crooked head and crossed eyes.  I have seen many cats that have eye problems, etc.  But still they live, whereas others are victims of accidents in street, predators, and such.  For the cat with leukemia, he is one of the longest survivors.  All God’s creatures deserve a chance at living.  I do feel good about feeding them.  I see nothing wrong with it regardless of what some people may think.

            But today may seem quite different.  Immediately upon opening the back door, they all come running.  It was not so in the past.  Before I could close the door, in ran two. I had a tough time getting out my door. I head for a picnic table with food in hand. I place food upon the table now going to an outside cabinet to get bowls. I have to pick up containers at night before scavengers eat what is left over from the day. With a rash of kittens being killed in the past, I have to put up food at end of day.

            I have never been able to come close to a big grey male cat I call Fuzzy Wuzzy. But there he was meowing at the bowl I was filling. He was starving and I appeared to be no threat to him. If I had wanted to touch him, I could have. But I held back. He could have bit the hand that feeds him. There was Tarzan, who meowed like a lunatic. It was just last night they had food before it was taken up. But all thirteen acted like a hungry, hungry kitty. They acted as if they had not eaten in days. But then again, could it have been the change of one of the cat foods I was giving them? It was last weekend I bought an item from an area store that was a phase out item. It was expensive cans of cat food at half price. I have been giving it to the strays this week. I think this may be the change of behavior. Will I be able to go back to the regular kind I have been putting out? My daughter said, “They are afraid they won’t get any of it if they don’t get to it first.” Cats, I guess, are much like humans in their taste buds. We like certain foods and pass up others. I guess they are no different. But if a cat gets hungry enough, I guess they will eat a cheaper brand.

            I look outside after just a short time. The good food is all gone. And then so are the majority of the cats. Remaining behind are only a couple of cats. There’s a 100% chance of rain today. With the cat’s belly now full, it is probably now nap time…..