For the birds (and a barn cat)
I started filling the bird feeder that's visible from my window at least once a week partly to do something. I'm sick so much that I can't do much on the weekends other than recover, but I can take about 5 minutes to fill the feeder and add a new suet block.
It also gives me something to watch that doesn't involve a screen. There's a pair of fat ass doves who will try to sit on the feeder and go "Mine!", a woodpecker with anger management issues (or is that just all of them?), and a multitude of finches, sparrows, Cardinals, etc.
I've also been feeding a barn cat we've nicknamed "Socks" because he's a tuxedo cat. He's totally fine with us feeding him, but he's not really into hanging out with humans. I have yet to pet him, but just about every morning, this is what I see through the pet door between the garage and the outside.
We've started calling him our impatient customer at the drive-through window. He'll sit and wait until there's no human anywhere near the food before he comes in (we totally can't see him through the window, ya'know). He doesn't run from us (unless he gets startled), but he will back away slowly if we try to approach.
Watching him tackle the door flap is hysterically funny. He'll slowly stick a paw in, then start pushing on the plastic with his head. Sort of reminds me of a mime in an invisible box. If he's backing out Because Human, he usually does the same slow motion one bit at a time routine. One time he did get startled, and ran so fast that he clipped his head on the frame. I was calling him Stormtrooper for days.
Earlier this week, my car was in the shop, so I was driving one of my father's trucks. Socks was unaware of this change, because he's a cat. So he's staring in the pet door (see above), watching me put out food for him and getting my drink out of the fridge we keep in the garage, before heading out the big garage door to walk around to the carport attached to the garage where the trucks are parked. Which is where he's sitting on the steps, still staring in the window. He looked over at me, looked back in the garage, then did a double take at me, and hauled ass over towards the barn. At which point, he stared at me until I left before he'd come up for food. I was totally being judged, and harshly at that.
I think he's been around people, but either not much, or some humans were bad to him. I'd really like to tame him down, but it's a lot of work and I can't sit around doing what I need to do to even try. We're talking about trapping him to get him neutered, which might also help calm him down, but we haven't decided. My father really wants a cat. It's nice enough to be out in his garden, and he does need a feline supervisor if he's outside working.
It also gives me something to watch that doesn't involve a screen. There's a pair of fat ass doves who will try to sit on the feeder and go "Mine!", a woodpecker with anger management issues (or is that just all of them?), and a multitude of finches, sparrows, Cardinals, etc.
I've also been feeding a barn cat we've nicknamed "Socks" because he's a tuxedo cat. He's totally fine with us feeding him, but he's not really into hanging out with humans. I have yet to pet him, but just about every morning, this is what I see through the pet door between the garage and the outside.
We've started calling him our impatient customer at the drive-through window. He'll sit and wait until there's no human anywhere near the food before he comes in (we totally can't see him through the window, ya'know). He doesn't run from us (unless he gets startled), but he will back away slowly if we try to approach.
Watching him tackle the door flap is hysterically funny. He'll slowly stick a paw in, then start pushing on the plastic with his head. Sort of reminds me of a mime in an invisible box. If he's backing out Because Human, he usually does the same slow motion one bit at a time routine. One time he did get startled, and ran so fast that he clipped his head on the frame. I was calling him Stormtrooper for days.
Click to viewEarlier this week, my car was in the shop, so I was driving one of my father's trucks. Socks was unaware of this change, because he's a cat. So he's staring in the pet door (see above), watching me put out food for him and getting my drink out of the fridge we keep in the garage, before heading out the big garage door to walk around to the carport attached to the garage where the trucks are parked. Which is where he's sitting on the steps, still staring in the window. He looked over at me, looked back in the garage, then did a double take at me, and hauled ass over towards the barn. At which point, he stared at me until I left before he'd come up for food. I was totally being judged, and harshly at that.
I think he's been around people, but either not much, or some humans were bad to him. I'd really like to tame him down, but it's a lot of work and I can't sit around doing what I need to do to even try. We're talking about trapping him to get him neutered, which might also help calm him down, but we haven't decided. My father really wants a cat. It's nice enough to be out in his garden, and he does need a feline supervisor if he's outside working.