My community cats

I love watching Tater Tot and Lil Googie play. They are a bonded pair. I don’t see that too often with cats (although it’s not impossible). They almost act like siblings but I know they are not. Lil Googie (the tabby) was born in the fall of 2022, and Tater Tot (the tux) was about eight weeks old when he started showing up in the spring of ’23.

Tater Tot and Lil’ Googie are two cats in our small cat colony. I touched on the feral cat problem our neighborhood has been experiencing in a recent post. I don’t like to criticize, but I can’t sugar-coat the fact that we have an irresponsible neighbor who let their unfixed female cat wander loose through the neighborhood several years ago. From the one cat, many were spawned.

It caused a lot heartache on many levels; late night fights, spraying, older cats dying of diseases, kittens dying from lack of proper vet care. Fortunately, there is a good TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) program in our area. We took the training, bought a live trap, and one by one, we had each of our community cats fixed. This summer marks the first kitten-free summer since I moved to this neighborhood in 2017.

Even better than keeping the cat population under control, the cats all seem happier. Without the drive to breed and fight, they can live out their best cat lives. We provide the food and shelter. All they have to do is hunt, play, sleep and eat. When I see them getting their morning meal I look at them with genuine satisfaction that I have done something good for my small corner of the world – for my neighbors, and my community cats.

Tiger Lily, Tater Tot and Mollie