Meeting Feral Cats

Mother AKA Moe and Baby are feral cats (see explanation below) and very cautious of humans. As time went on, they started to come into our yard and we put cushions out for them to relax on during the day. My husband was kind enough to make a cat house to shelter them and give them a place to sleep. They would not let us pet them, but they came by every morning for breakfast and every evening for dinner. They would leave us squirrel feet and bird parts as gifts.

We decided to have them spayed and neutered at PAWS. PAWS Chicago Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic supports TNR (trap, neuter, return) for ferals. This is a great no kill humane clinic. To our surprise, we learned that Mother is a he--so we decided to call him Moe. Baby is a girl.

We have known them for about 6 years (met them in summer 2005) and they are proving the "9 lives of a cat" thing. Before he was neutered, Moe would often come by with war wounds---once a terrible one to his face. They have come through rough times and rough weather. One winter, Moe hurt his leg and recuperated in our home for a few days. (We can't keep a cat because of allergies). I forgot to mention that he now lets us pet him and we can even pick him up when he feels like it! Baby still does not allow human contact.

Then, last fall (2010), Moe wasn't as consistent in coming around..... and then he stopped coming. Every day was sad. He was looking disoriented before this and we thought that maybe he had died. Several months later, I was missing him so much and talking to God about how I wished that I could see him one more time. Then, there he was...
sitting by our garage. What a reunion we had! Baby was jumping on him and my family and I made such a happy fuss over him. He came in for a bit. He looked good....and maybe even younger! We believe that he found a home.

Even though we miss him so much, we are grateful that as an older cat, he may now have a home. Living completely outdoors does take a toll on a cat. We hope that he will come by again one day,...and he already has! Now we wait for the next visit!

We originally thought Moe was a she and we called him Mother! He was so protective of Baby. When we found out that Mother was a he, we shortened his name to Moe!

My daughter and I thought it would be fun to give him a formal name and we came up with Maurice Milhous (Milhous is President Nixon's middle name) (we thought it went well with Maurice! and was different!)

His full formal name is Maurice Milhous Duke of Alley (pronounced ah-lee) !
I call him Moe, and sometimes affectionately call him MaMa.

Moe has brought a lot of joy to my life, and I am so thankful for him. We know that he mostly comes for the food and we have to accept him on his terms. When he wants to, he likes to check out some of his favorite places on the block traveling mostly via the alley. Moe has a very confident and secure personality, and being out and fending for himself for so many years has made him street wise. He can also be very gentle, looking after and playing with a younger cat, and letting us pet him and pick him up.

Once there was a raccoon coming around and we were worried about the cats. Soon, we saw Moe chomping on the raccoon's tail! That type of thing was hard to get used to at first, but now I know that that is what feral cats do. They learn to survive anyway they can.

Moe came to Baby's rescue when she was a kitten.
There was another cat around, who may have been one of Baby's parents, but Baby chose to follow Moe.

Baby is such a scaredy cat towards humans. To this day, she will not let us pet her and she was a challenge to trap. She has a lovely meow and greets us each morning. What fun it is to see her trying to swat butterflies in summer! She can also be a tough one, and fends well for herself when necessary. She has learned much from Moe.

We love Baby Beatrice Duchess of Midway. (her fun formal name!)

My husband made an insulated wooden cat house for Moe and Baby. It sits under our back porch and when the weather gets colder, we staple strong plastic around our porch to help protect the cats from the elements. Inside the house, we place a mat that reflects the cats' body heat back to them. Straw can also be used for insulation.

The cats will eat more when its colder out (they need the extra calories for warmth),and we make a little feeding station for them. Water will freeze and it has to be changed often. Their fur will grow thicker and the thicker it grows, the colder the winter! We had two cats in the house and they kept each other warm with their body heat. Even if cats do not like each other, when it is cold enough, they will come together to keep warm! Moe and Baby are friends, though. The cats also seek shelter under our neighbor's porch. Our kind neighbors are also fond of them.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, the neighbors and my family have been looking for Moe, thinking that he may want to be out and about a bit. Recently, while we were out, the neighbors spotted him! They told us that he was waiting at our door! (May, 2011)