He's TRYIN!

I don't remember if I have written about our two feral kitties here on this blog.  I have written about them on my horse blog (http://deserthorses.blogspot.com).  We rescued three feral kittens from the gal next door who trapped them and was going to take them to the pound to be killed.  We put some lattice on top of the dog kennel, put mesh all around it, and kept them in it.  Unfortunately, the first night one of them got out and was back in her trap for the second time (she actually gave them to us because we told her we would find homes for them...).  He didn't survive the 2nd time in her trap and got sent to the pound for good.  But, we had the other two and we kept them for over 6 months.  They were terrified of me, but I would sit and talk to them.  So, this little guy got out one time while I was cleaning the cage and I knew there was NO WAY I would ever get him back in it.  He stayed in the yard and I can now touch him.  A few days later, I let the other one go as we were going to be gone for a week to Arizona and New Mexico (our trip last week).  She/he (I don't know what it is) also stays in the back yard and hides under our huge Chinaberry tree.  This little guy, however, is hilarious!  He sits out front and watches the birds every morning now and even attempts (rather clumsily) to catch them.  I have a feeling the birds are all laughing at him!  He's quite a character and appears at the back door for breakfast and dinner.  He follows our gray (neutered) male cat around the yard and the two of them sleep all day in the garage!  I'm not sure if Mr. Gray appreciates his presence or not!

Here is the little bugger!  Yes, we have NO lawn out front.  We haven't had a lawn in YEARS.  It's too shady from the trees!  I DO put water out for the cats and birds and they appreciate it during this HOT summer!  A mockingbird comes twice a day for a drink, as do doves and finches.  The cats (2 outdoor ones) and even the dog like the water.  I'm very careful with my water use and we are on Tier 1 "excellent", so I don't worry about overusing our water allotment.  In fact, we are WAY under using our water!  All my flowers have died except for a couple of straggly lavender plants and my daisy plants, which are barely hanging on!  We had days of 113 degrees while we were gone and our "housesitter" did NOT water anything apparently while we were gone!   :-(  I showed her what to water, but apparently she didn't do it.