Some people get writer's block as a result of empty minds, numb minds - any variety of problems preventing someone from coming up with the words. For VB, it's a much different case. Apparently, VB's computer is the perfect place for a cat nap, That is, after climbing as high as a cat can get and chasing the "mouse."
Stuck at home all last week with the hives, dependent on Benadryl, Caladryl, and Aveeno baths, VB found herself photographing the rescued kitten. Kitten is still climbing the screens in pursuit of the mosquitoes flying around outside.
She's also decided that the kitchen table is quite the spot for napping, and attacking. It has turned into her operations center, since she can easily sprint to the counter, and show the dogs what counter surfing really means.
We're going to have to discuss her facial hair sometime. Looks like she's growing a goatee.
She's also decided that dog food is quite tasty.
And that water bowl, albeit a bit high, is always way fuller than hers.
VB's latest obsession - the new kitten. We learn later this week what sex it is. This kitten is growing rapidly before VB's eyes. The first several photos were taken last week. The last six, just the past few days.
VB will continue with the trip to Mokkatam and The City of the Dead after Wednesday's Funkengroovin post.
(Below): We've been moving furniture. We folded and piled up the carpets, and new kitten likes to climb up and jump off of them.
(Below): VB has some old maijlis pillows piled vertically, and the kitten attempts an ascent.
(Below): Chewing on Cooper's leg. The kitten thinks Cooper is it's mom, and Cooper is a very even tempered dog. 
(Below): Sexy Little Beast.
(Below): Hogging the dogs' pad.
(Below): Soft little paws.
(Below): Long whiskers.
(Below): Totally out of it.
(Below): Portrait - we think kitty would grow up to be an awesome biker (nice goatee). Possible name "Harley"? Number One Son registers his vote for the name "Pinto". 
VB's currently predisposed to playing, and napping with the newest member of the family. He's an eight week old kitten that Awesome Daughter rescued. She traveled to Louisiana for a teaching job, and then went on to San Antonio to visit a friend. The kitten's mom left all the new born kittens on her friend's porch. The mom then returned and took the other kittens leaving this one behind. After mom did not return, Awesome Daughter decided to take matters into her own hands. We find out later this week if it's a boy or a girl.
He's / she's got a goatee and white hairs growing in his ears, reminding VB of Stripe from the movie Gremlins. He / she has been chewing on VB's computer, deleted a load of bookmarks with his / her teeny weeny paw, runs dancing around VB's feet trying to paw at them while she's walking, and has, as a result been stepped on twice.
He / she thinks Awesome Daughter's dog is it's mommy, and annoys the hell out of him too. VB will have to read up to find out what all these strange purrs and noises mean. They're nothing like the caterwauls from the feral cats in Cairo. One thing VB did notice that was similar - the meow meaning, "I'm hungry!"
So say "Hi" and welcome the newest member of the family.
To start off, Little Boy got into two fights with the gold and white cat below. This was the afternoon fight. He was all wound up from his morning joust.
(Below): Here Ramses looks on, and it seems to be a pretty hair raising experience for him too.
(Below): A close-up of Ramses.
(Below two photos): Later in the afternoon the whole fam-damily shows up. VB thinks this photo directly below is so typical of dysfunctional families. Mean Mama looks on as juvie, Little Boy aka Scarface eats, and somehow through those extra eyes in the back of his head, senses his bitch Mama watching him with disapproval.
(Below): The ass sniffing begins. For some strange reason, every member (Mean Mama and her kids) are all gathered on the porch for a feeding. This is unusual.
(Below): That evening Doggie and VB had quite an experience. Sure, Mean Mama's daughter would be protective of her newborn baby, but on this night she was aggressive. Like a snarling dog, creeping forward, with the threat to pounce, she followed and harassed us during our walk in the yard. (Reminder, it's VB's fucking yard bitch!)
Well, the next day she was on the front porch all morning snoozing, seeking comfort from her older brother, Little Boy aka Scarface (from another litter). It was after that we realized her little kitten baby must have passed away. She looked sad, and Scarface was very comforting. 
(Below): Yesterday morning. Back to kitty play. She was too young to have a child to begin with. She is still so small, and looks like a kitten herself. So, for that past several days she's been getting back into the kitten groove - playing in the yard, keeping company with her brothers, and just being a cat. That won't be for long. She will go back into season, and we will go through another round.
Lastly, but certainly not least, are all the cats that are "unrelated". They are the ones who show up only for food, or sex. They don't "hang out" here as much as some of the others. Most live within two blocks from our house, emanating in all directions.
(Below): A male with sad eyes. We've seen replicas of him here and there in the neighborhood. There's another one, very similar, who's tongue is always hanging out from his mouth.
(Below): White Cat In A Hat - he looks like he has a cap on his head. He's a variation of all the long haired, hairy white cats, like The Blue Eyed Sex Maniac.
(Below): Another gold and white male.
(Below): Black Cat has just started visiting recently. Not Mean Mama's son. This one has a white marking on his chest, and Mean Mama's was all black.
(Below): The Blue Eyed Sex Maniac, who is no longer around, but reproductions seem to be popping up everywhere! VB is sure you will see resemblances among several new cats, and a few VB hasn't even photographed yet. This dude got around!
From cat vs. cat
"A frightened cat's first choice will be to avoid potential conflict altogether and escape. If he can't escape, or feels backed into a corner, a cat may resort to aggression. First he will display a defensive body posture: an arched back with his hair standing on end at first and then a crouch with ears rotated back and flattened against the head. His pupils will be dilated and he will probably growl, hiss, and perhaps spit. He may even be caught in two positions at once. His upper body and front feet may face forward, ready to do battle if necessary, but his hindquarters may face sideways, ready to help him bolt at the first opportunity for escape. He will stay in the defensive posture until escape becomes possible or the opponent retreats."
(Below): A review of sorts. The Blue Eyed Sex Maniac going after Johnny Come Lately (the gray cat.)
(Below): Johnny Come Lately this year, before his full blown eye infection. We're beginning to think he's deaf and possibly going blind. Doggie has "bumped" into him several times, when he should have clearly seen her. VB has to tap him with the cane on his rear for him to realize she's been banging the damn thing on the floor, and he isn't responding (mostly when he's howling at another Tom). Not sure what's up with him, but it's not good.
(Below): Scaredy Cat. The two photos below this one are of his female posse. They are a colony. They rub against each other and eat together. VB has seen him scratched up, and he's an awfully scruffy, scared as shit looking fellow, but he apparently has his charms. As The Boss Man would say, "God bless him."
(Below): Son Of Scaredy Cat (up a tree no less.)
(Below): A very sweet gray and white female who feeds here daily.
(Below): The ear cut female we thought was neutered. W-R-O-N-G! She's had several litters, but never brings them around for us to see.
(Below): Bad Ass Cat's Bro. (We haven't seen Bad Ass Cat lately.)
(Below): A sweet kitty that showed up recently. She is pregnant, and appears to be approachable, although VB hasn't tried, yet. She was in tight with the black nosed female (now one month disappeared), who was tight with Big Love Momma. She's pretty much on her own these days. Here early in the morning, she hides on our back porch, and lets VB know she's hungry.
(Below): We've decided to call him Ramses. He showed up exactly a week before Number One Son's visit in March. VB spotted him on a walk about a week before that (This is how it always happens. VB goes for a walk. Stops. Takes a few photos of a cat or cats. Next thing you know, they're on the porch.) He rubs up against you, rubs all over you - your shoes, your pants, the screen door. He wants to be petted, all over - back, behind the ears, under his chin.... He loves small balls and we constantly have to go into the garden as he whacks them off the porch. VB has had to buy new ones for him too. He's a sort of nerdy. He will quietly walk up behind other cats, hoovering over them, breathing down their necks, while they eat or lounge, and just stare at them inquisitively. When they realize it, they jump out of their skin, but there's never any fighting. It's almost as if they think he's a freak. Sometimes this behavior borders on a form of intimidation. He's young, but tall. Oh, and Doggie climbs right into his face, and has almost sat on him, with no reaction on his part. That's another aspect that makes VB think he's a lost (or thrown away) pet. All he does is eat, sleep, play soccer, and preen himself. He rarely leaves the garden, but is so anal, he will hop over the fence, into the next yard, when nature calls. VB has gone around the hood with a photo, but no one seems to recognize him. This coming week he gets put into a crate, and taken to the vet, who most of the cat folks here use. Perhaps he might recognize him. If not, he will be neutered. BTW, two birds (or their remains) have been found in the yard since he arrived. He's apparently very good at stalking, too.
(Below): Newcomer, just recently. Another male.
From an article: Feline Social Behaviour
"Because cats are asocial, there is no hierarchy and fights are therefore common. The results of these conflicts are often not predictable. As a result, communication is important between cats to avoid interaction with each other, thereby reducing the number of fights.
The feline social system is actually quite flexible, ranging from solitary individuals to large colonies. At which end of the spectrum a cat will sit depends highly on the resources in the area, including food, shelter, and breeding females available. Cats that hunt for their food often live alone because of the small portions of their prey (for example, mice). However, those that have a constant source of food, such as those that are fed by humans, often live in groups.
In general, a solitary cat has a home range consisting of favorite spots and regularly traveled paths. Home ranges may overlap between neighbouring cats. On the other hand, an individual’s territory is usually smaller than the home range (or often the same size in the case of house cats), and this is an area that is actively defended."
An interesting insight into ferals and the question, "What the hell do these cats do all day?"
The Day in a Feral Cat's Life
Last, but certainly not least - Who's Your Daddy (below). Here he sits next to the food station at a neighbor's house, two blocks over. He still stops by now and then, giving all the other cats the shivers. He came by with a limp last fall, and is back to his old self now.
As VB was finishing this, after one fight in the morning, and just after walking Doggie, we heard caterwauling from the front porch. We were just out in the front yard, and me thinks, "WTF! There weren't any cats out there!" As you can see, it's Little Boy with the gold and white cat pictured earlier. This is not good. If you blow up the photo, you can see loose white hair on the gold and white's coat. The fur went flying before VB could even get her camera lid off. They both practically knocked each other off the porch, hanging off the rails, and then started over again.
This was the second fight between Little Boy and this specific cat this day, and as the one went over the fence, Little Boy followed. You could hear the screeching and yowling as the fight continued up the street. Later we heard more shrieking. Little Boy had cornered another cat who is literally clawing the wrought iron rails at the topmost section near the ceiling. Little Boy is aggravated, and VB has seen this before. He will often sit at the screen door, and sniff at Doggie on the other side. On this day, he jumped up and attacked the screen door, hissing. Doggie just took a couple of steps back, stared, and looked up at VB as if asking, "What the fuck crawled up his ass and died?!" The same exact thought going through VB's mind.
And, who sits below and watches it all? Ramses. Looks like it's a hair raising experience for him too.
After all three fights, (and who knows how many after later in the day) Little Boy showed up this morning looking unscathed. Still in a pissy mood, he proceeded to get cocky with another cat he chased out of the yard. Ramses was on the porch watching; Son Of Scaredy Cat was on the big padded pot in the yard; the little female kitten (pregnant) poked her head out of the back porch nervously; and Johnny Come Lately was laying on an air conditioner oblivious to it all. Subject of this hissy fit must have run off before VB could spot him.
VB would love to put a small camera on Little Boy's head to see where he goes, who he sees, and how bad he acts when he's not in the yard.
We get a lot of feline visitors for two specific reasons - food and sex. As in the photo below, one reason is the "season". This photo should be titled, "Take A Number." We have quite a few females that feed here, and they attract males, old and new, when they go into season (or as we dog lovers call it "heat.") It can get crazy, with males lined up waiting for the moment they can pounce, or waiting for her to decide when she wants to do the nasty. And somehow the females all seem to go into season at exactly the same time, or within days of each other. There were nights here in February, when VB took Doggie out, and she could hear screeches coming from the next yard, the yard next to that, and so on. It was like an evening of caterwauling and mating.
Some cats, like Johnny Come Lately below, can't wait. They'll jump a girl even when she's trying to put some food in her belly. And as long as the girl keeps her rump to the ground, there ain't gonna be none of that funny business taking place. She'll do it when she's good and ready. Once VB gets the cane out, and bangs it on the floor of the porch, it ain't gonna happen here ever!
Below is "Bad Ass Cat's Brother." He's an old timer. VB remembers seeing him around before Doggie #2 passed away. He's not a regular visitor like some of the other cats. He's here for one reason alone, and he's a very patient fellow, as well.
Mating behaviors, courtship rank and mating success of male feral cat (Felis catus)
"We examined the factors influencing fighting ability, rank during courtship, and mating success of the male cat. Males with heavier body weight mostly won over lighter males in the agonistic encounters during the estrous season. Heavier males occupied the more advantageous positions to copulate with the estrous females and had higher mating success. These results suggest that body weight was one of the important factors affecting the courtship rank and the mating success of the male cat."
And now, of course, we've come full circle. All the females have given birth these past few weeks. They are obviously nursing, and for some, they will be in season again very soon, if not already, as the photo below shows.
"Connecticut company helping to keep feral cats barren"
"A Westbrook group has developed FeralStat, a drug for female cats that keeps them from getting all hot, bothered and pregnant.
Feral cat caretakers know better than anyone that catching, sterilizing and releasing each one is not possible, but every cat’s gotta eat.
So, to keep cats without kitten, the folks who feed them mix FeralStat with wet cat food once a week and set out the feed bowl for all the cats in the feral colony."
"FeralStat wants to ensure that people are using it for the right reasons and any potential cat contraceptive-giver must take a survey and then speak with a FeralStat vet.
A four-month supply costs $67 and treats as many as 81 cats. Sicuranza said about 200 caretakers are using the product and treating thousands of cats."
