Old Ladies of the Double-Wide

Volunteer Pauline Chin has been spending more time interacting with some of the shyer cats in the DoubleWide

Introducing Pixie to the Neko Blog!

MW

This grey lady has been a resident since 2005.  Leslie says that she was the last one of her group to be trapped and was very scared.  Her siblings had charming names along the lines of Taffy, Tuffy, and Toffee.  It was a long time ago and probably wouldn’t sound familiar with our current army of volunteers.

PC

Pixie is over 15 years old.  Like many of the other ferals, she prefers to live atop the cages in the double-wide.  I have never seen her willingly venture to floor level, other than when she was caged for illness.

PC

Pixie (L) and Sandra (R)

Pixie was often mistaken for Nasty Sandra (Sandra left for the Rainbow Bridge earlier this year)  and some people even referred to her as “Not Sandra”.  Both are grey with faint tabby markings, light green eyes, and refuse to be touched by humans.  The fastest way to get to Pixie’s attention is with an offering of chicken.

MW

Little Midge also arrived in 2005, with a tuxedo buddy named Mac, but like Pixie, she has stayed mostly feral.  She refuses touch, but will excitedly take food offerings at meal times - especially chicken!  Being a chick-a-holic, Midge will wail at the first sniff of any chicken that makes its way into the trailer.  She also loves ground beef.  On occasion, she will venture outside for something tasty.  Other than that, she remains hidden on a lower shelf in the double-wide.

Midge - MW

Maggie - MW

Midge is similar in appearance to Maggie.  Both have a white body with black and orange patches.  The main difference is Midge has a pink nose and Maggie has a darker nose.  Maggie prefers the cage tops, while Midge is comfortable with a low shelf.

PC

Now and then Midge is caged up for care.  She is one of several cats who receives sub-cutaneous fluids regularly for her kidney disease.  While caged, she yells because she really wants out.  At the same time, it provides us the chance to interact with her without her fleeing.  She has a velvety, soft coat.

These two old ladies are part of a diminishing population of ferals in the Double-Wide - diminishing because most of the ferals have either tamed up to some degree, or have migrated out to the deck, where they can stay away from humans.  In terms of age, they could belong with the old cats in the Moore House, but the Double-Wide is their home, the place they feel most comfortable, and it will remain their home for the rest of their lives.

Blog by Pauline Chin & Brigid Coult

Photos by Pauline Chin and Michele Wright