Just like the Clap...she's back

Day 6

This morning I called like normal for MG.  He promptly ran up to THIS bowl.  Yes, she's been here again, sometime since yesterday afternoon.

The sad thing is she is very sporadic.  She did not put food down yesterday at all, MG ate from his dry food in the garage and twice inside with the other two.  I am just so worried that the reason all the her other 'cat charges' disappeared over the years is because the voices in her head told her to feed them strychnine or some other more physical damage.  

I am literally holding my breath every morning and evening to see if he will show up when I call.

I know why she started paying attention to him.  He's a slut.  We had a slut cat in college too.  We'd let him out and watch him walk up the porches of every other apartment around the pool.  He'd meow and get a treat, some attention, he'd lay down under someone's chair as they sunbathed.  Every person in the pool area knew that cat.  MG is exactly the same personality.  I have seen him helping a neighbor 2 houses down work in his garden, my immediate next door neighbor says he jumps up on her window sill and looks in at her.  Which is exactly how he came to our attention.

A year and a half ago, it was early winter and still warm enough to have the windows open.  I was feeding the lot inside (which was 4 cats at that time) and I kept hearing meowing.  This is not unusual at food time.  But it seemed like there was more meowing than normal.  So I got all the bowls down and said "There, eat!"  and all 4 cats were eating away and I could still hear "Meow?"  

I looked out the kitchen window and next to the BBQ was this orange cat.  I said, "Hello, who are you?"  And instead of running he jumped up on the BBQ.  I went to the back door and opened it and he walked right in.  I pulled a bowl and filled it with some food and he ate.  He was very polite.  All the other cats sniffed at him.  JC, my old guy was like...'chah, another one huh?' and went back to his spot to sleep.  Pirate was fascinated by him, Storm growled and scoffed off in a huff.  The Rat Bastard was so happy to not have an old guy cat or an annoyed girl cat that he was doing backflips over the new one.

Thus started the game.  Every morning and night, he'd jump onto the window sill and cry.  When it got cold that winter, I just let him inside.  I reopened the cat door I had locked after CaliCat died and other than he would not push it open (I had to tape it open until he got used to it).  He hung at our house for nearly a full year.  

It was February or so of THIS year that suddenly Crazy Woman noticed him.  And that started my fun.  I need to talk with them about this.  However I really do not want to go over there and knock on the door.  The last time I did, they made me come inside and 'sit a spell'.  It's dark and hoardy and smells like dog...plus Dead Mama is always cold, so it is HOT and stuffy on top of it.  Not to mention I have seen Crazy Woman 3 days running in the same clothes...imagine that smell.

I'll just have to wait for one of those fun days I get caught at the mailbox.

I just caught Crazy Woman!

My windows are open...I just got out of the shower, in my robe and I heard a clinking....I looked at the clock and it is way too early for Ed to be home and then I saw her.  Crazy Woman about 15 feet from my door.

She had just fed MG cat on my porch!

He's happily eating away

When I heard the noise, I was working on makeup, since Ed and I are planning on going out, so I said "Hey, is that you?"

She was scurrying so the best picture I could get was this through the window.

She's in red pants today...picture is blurred to protect the crazy

Holy crap on a cracker!

Attack of the Water Bowl

From my porch to their yard

Yesterday I wrote about the sudden arrival of a food bowl on my front stoop.  It is absolutely delicious for Florida in May, so we had our windows open yesterday.  Last night Ed decided that instead of leaving the windows open like we normally would, he would close them...because you don't know if Crazy Woman will show up to deliver more food and decide to break in.

It's not without precedent.  Years ago, I let the cats outside on a day like today for a romp.  (Those excursions ended when they chased a black racer snake into the house and it took a week to track it and remove it...story for another day).  I had left the door slightly cracked, so they could come in and out and needed.  I was doing chores inside.  At that time the house was divided into a living room/dining room and a family room/kitchen with doors connecting the dining room and kitchen and the front entry connecting the living room and family room.  (After remodeling it is just one big great room).  So I could not see the front door from the kitchen.  I walked back to the bedroom area and encountered Crazy Woman in my front hall.

She was just standing there staring at the floor.  Scared the bejesus out of me.  At this time I didn't even know her name.  It was just bizarre that she walked to my front door, found it cracked open and just walked in.  She told me some nonsense about being injured by the water company and then left.  I quickly ushered the cats inside and closed and locked the door. 

So, concern over her not knowing boundaries is founded.  

This morning I opened the blinds and the windows and found Crazy Woman had been by, a water bowl has joined the food bowl.  I'm glad I pulled the blinds and Ed closed the windows.

Little blue water bowl next to food bowl.  Yes, MG visits here.

Oh that's just a bit creepy...

waiting out the rain

Rain for 4 days solid, makes for a cranky outside MG cat.  He's spent more time inside than outside this week.  Because the rain has been flooding, there are not many places he can go and escape water.  If he has been out, I call or open the garage door and he'd run through the rain to get inside.

Bottom line:  He hasn't been next door around Crazy Woman.

Yesterday morning I went to check on a plant I put outside (dying Poinsettia from Christmas) and noticed a ceramic saucer on the front stoop.  I hadn't talked with Ed about it and thought perhaps someone had given him some food he didn't like and he put it outside for something else to eat....HIGHLY unlikely, but weirder things have happened.  This morning I wanted to mention it to him and looked out the window.  That's when I saw the plate had been replaced by a matching bowl...and that matching bowl was filled with cat food.

Yes.  Crazy woman's need to feed is so strong that even when she knows he's inside MY HOUSE, comfortable, dry and with food...she walks TO MY FRONT DOOR and deposits cat food on my porch.

White bowl of cat food.  I am standing IN my front door

I don't know how to explain to these people that I have been taking care of this cat for a year and a half.  What they are doing is confusing him.  I've fed him, kept him warm in the winter, dried him when he was wet, put expensive flea medication on him, etc, etc, etc.  I EVEN TOLD THEM face to face, HE'S OUR CAT!  

I think these people have serious problems understanding boundaries.  Physical and otherwise.  Years ago we had a battle royale with Daddy over the property line.  He was convinced he owned all the property between our houses.  His side yard.  Didn't matter that most of what he thought he owned was between the street/mailbox and our front door.  Can anyone explain to me how someone can think land 40 feet past someone's mailbox is their property?  I actually had to get the plot map out and show him where his property was...then asked him to move the junk cars off my side of the property. 

Yep, these people definitely don't understand boundaries.

chilling in the garage during the rain