The handsome guy you see to your left is an abandoned cat that folks in the neighborhood have been feeding. Well, truth be told it's been mostly me that's feeding him.
Bandit and I had the pleasure of meeting him on one of our morning walks. He was under a neighbor's porch and came out to sniff Bandit and rub his head on my legs. Very, very friendly.
We'd see him from time to time wandering along the berm of the road or in various yards. He seemed to stay under the neighbors porch on a regular basis. Then came the day it was obvious the neighbors were moving away. I flat out asked them if he was their cat and they told me no, but that they fed him. They own a black cat.
He sure did like the young woman. We had seen him run up to her car when she pulled in the driveway on several occasions. The young man and I had joked about "feeding the neighborhood" a while back, so I believed them that he wasn't their cat. Not my place to judge anyway.
He seems to be the kind of cat that can survive fairly well on its own. Which is good because the SPCA isn't accepting any more cats. They have been full-up for months.
He answers to the name "Ki-Ki" and comes running when called if he's within earshot. Had I known him better I would have named him Thomas O'Malley after that Disney cat.
It took a few weeks of first putting out kibble and then sitting near him while he ate it for him to trust me. Stray cats are funny that way. The first time he relaxed enough to trust me he climbed into my lap and put his front paws on my chest like he was giving me a hug. It kinda freaked me out - getting bitten by a stray would be horrible for us both (think rabies).
He has a cute little swagger and is simply a brave, affectionate soul. He's a polydactyl and has six toes on his feet; his back feet are HUGE. He follows me around the yard when I'm outside. Several times he's grabbed my leg and almost tripped me to stop me from going inside. He's a big cat. He isn't afraid of Bandit, but definitely has his sniffing limits. Usually he goes under the deck when he's had enough of that cold nose, although Bandit has felt the sting of his paws a couple times.
Sucker that I am, I made him a Winter Shelter out of an old cooler and straw after watching several YouTube instructional videos. He doesn't seem to want to stay in it and I've been encouraging that by occasionally putting a can of food inside. Am considering moving the shelter closer to the shed to see if that's more to his liking. Right now it's under the picnic table - a little bit of protection from coyotes and what-not. A couple of the videos suggested cutting a second hole in the shelter if a cat didn't like going in with only one. Winters here are so harsh I'm hesitant to make another opening for heat to escape.
My cats like to watch him. They would fight him if I let him in the house as proven repeatedly at the glass of the back door. Tigger-Tiger is too old (and de-clawed) to have to deal with a big tomcat. Romeo is timid by nature and would probably be bullied as well. Henrietta has claws, but is tiny by comparison; KiKi is at least twice her size.
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