Scozmo's Photery

Continuing the story of the tiny kitten that showed up under our tree in August 2023.

If you remember, we live out in the country, on a working farm. That kitten just appeared on day, there are no cats on the farm, I’d seen no cats out and about on the surrounding land and yet, there it was and looking like it did, I had thoughts on it being a Scottish Wildcat hybrid and, I guess that’s still possible, some people I’ve spoken to when I’m out walking talk of wild cats in some of the glens, around five miles away, as the Crow flies so not an impossibility.

Anyway, the relevance of our location also tells of the conditions as a year ends, no street lights and very dark nights. We’re usually early to bed folks, unless there’s night sky excitement to keep me awake 🙂 What I’m saying is, we didn’t see that cat again for quite some time.

Did I mention we put some food out? We had some young dog kibble and a few sachets left from Archie visiting. (My sister’s Border Terrorist)

Sure enough, along came the tabby and filled up. I was trying to sneak over to the windows and take phone pics but boy was it touchy, wary and ….. gone!

Perhaps more of a surprise ….

A black cat turned up and ate its fill too!

These are cuts from our cam videos, I can’t add video here and don’t want to share these publicly on Flickr etc. So, through December we recorded several visits, meaning we put out more food, meaning we went and bought cat food, meaning we were now feeding a feral cat, or two!

I don’t remember, yet again whether they stayed around or disappeared from time to time, more likely the latter but by the start of the year we were seeing the tabby now and again.

February 9th

Right outside the kitchen doors and now a little easier with my presence on the other side of the (dirty) glass 🙂

The other thing I think worth mentioning is, these are all evening shots. It would turn up looking for food in the dishes in the latter part of the day, making photo capturing a little more challenging, that and I can’t actually open the door and go out there or it’s gone!

March 18th

I opened the door and stuck the long lens out so as not to scare it away, trying to get better shots. We’ve noticed she often won’t look directly at us, or the camera but has that cat thing of total disinterest or drifting off into a dwam! I love Scots words but when I was looking for that link I also found the term as coined by a rapper!!?? Dwam. What?

April 10th

Directly outside the glass, giving me the eye!!!!

We have a garden patio set out there and it took to sitting under one of the chairs, shelter and protection maybe?

April 11th

I’ve added three versions of that shot showing a cleaned up, an un-edited but brightened and a totally unedited shot. These are all after 8 pm in April so pretty dull light.

Does anyone see wild cat in her?

By this time we had taken to calling her Maggie! I think it’s because she is a Maggie May(be) 🙂

April 14th

Settled in for the wait, out by the corner of the house. Anyone think there’s been a change?

We were beginning to think she’s more than likely a Maggie!! She was getting chubby and I don’t think it was us feeding her.

She was now showing behaviour towards us too, turning up and staring in the window, waiting. Coming running if we popped out and called her.

I spotted her dozing over on the grass heap a few times, at which point she’d see me and magically appear at the kitchen windows.

Watching and waiting. So, she was more than likely a female, she was regularly turning up on our patio and waiting to be fed and was becoming a little more tolerant of us.

Now, in. my opinion, that face is shorter than the average household tabby. I know, there are all shapes and sizes out there now, most of which I really do not like. Cats are cats, not teddy bears or fluffy toys 😉

Anyway, there we are in April and she is definitely a she and settling in to our surroundings. Still disappearing now and again, but now turning up and waiting to be fed.

I shall continue soon.