Lessons from a cat

 Saturday was one of those gorgeous fall days where I cannot seem to get anything of consequence accomplished.  I gave up trying at 4:30 and went outside to enjoy the 70 degree temps, the last of my forget-me-nots, and the increasing friendliness of the feral cats who have taken up residence here on Taylor hill.  As noted before, this is their favorite napping place, and with the sunshine yesterday, they were taking full advantage.

 "What are you looking at?  You never saw a cat nap before?"

 This little girl is one of the kittens who will let me scratch behind her ears--very briefly--just after I put the cat food in their bowls.  She even musters up a purr on occasion.  However, away from the cat food (which is obviously her reward for suffering my touch), she avoids me and will back off if I attempt to touch her.  Here, she seems to be saying, "It's best to pretend you don't notice her."

 "Well, that clearly did not work this time."

 Scruffy, the black kitten, was sort of sickly-looking from the beginning, and had some kind of problem with his eyes.  He still keeps them closed or partially closed much of the time. He has a crooked gait due to his hips not seeming to be aligned normally.  He has become quite fond of me, though, and will allow my petting, picking him up, and playful interaction.  He is right by me any time I am outside, meowing or purring, or trying to walk under my feet.  Sometimes, it is impossible to get down the steps, and more than once, just as I was taking a step, a cat ran in front of me and got rolled down the steps.  They don't seem to mind, though, as they will be right back up there the next time someone goes out the door.

 He stretched in order to change positions, and almost fell out of the basket.  He prefers to be with one of the other kittens most of the time.  I surmise he did not get his nurturing needs fulfilled from Mamacat.  She did not reject him outright, but I would often see him awkwardly seeking a place to nurse when all the other plump little kitties were chowing down.

"Then again, might be best to sleep with one eye open around here."