Balancing Corporate & Homesteading Lifestyles
Sometimes We Need A Little Magic
Hi! My name is Magic. I got my name because I am kind of a magical cat!
I got here like many feral cats do…we all know how that happens. A little kitty romance happens and bam…there were kittens! Since I grew up feral…I did what I had to do to survive without a home. One of the things I learned was to be like a stealth cat…you don’t even know I’m there if I don’t want you to. That’s how I picked the home I have now.
A little about my territory and my backstory. There are quite a few properties here that are all connected. There is a BIG flower farm and then a lot of other smaller properties- and some have houses. There are quite a few of us that wander this area and find food where we can. It was on my travels that I came upon THIS farm where I now call home. There was a barn- so I had shelter if I wanted it. There was water for me to drink all the time and sometimes there was food out on the front porch. I figured I’d stay a bit and see if it was a good place. No one knew I was here though- that’s where my magic came in.
I was always around…watching…deciding. Was this a nice spot? You see…although I was young myself, I knew something was happening inside me. I was going to have kittens. I needed a place for them to be safe. I checked out the buildings…the fields and woods…the bamboo patch and of course the food they put out. I decided it was going well…so now was the real test. I had to let them see me!
The main person I always saw was a woman. She was outside a lot caring for the other animals here. They seemed to like her ok so I thought that was a good sign. When she first saw me- she talked to me and brought me food. I made sure she didn’t get very close to me…just close enough to see me and let me see her better. Every day I popped up to check her out and it soon became a fun game! I started to love surprising her …she never knew where I was until I magically appeared! She’d laugh and talk to me (and feed me) and that’s how I got the name Magic. I like that name! It fits me really well.
Fast forward a bit- I had kittens. I only had two and I tried keeping them hidden for as long as I could. I wasn’t very good at picking a safe spot for them…I kept them in the bushes and now I know that wasn’t a very good spot. The one the woman named “Georgie” got very sick. The person tried to catch her but I had taught my kittens too well to be wild. I taught them to not get close to anyone. Sadly…by the time they were able to catch Georgie, she was too sick and went to kitty heaven. My other kitten they named Duffy…and luckily they were able to catch her and she was not sick.
Now if I wasn’t a cat and knew to do otherwise…I might have gone on my life a single cat again and gone back to playing magical games of hide-and-seek…but…nature took over and I got pregnant again. I know the people didn’t want this for me (or the kittens to come) - they did try and trap me but I was too clever. I snuck away and had my kittens…this time I had FIVE! That was a lot of work and I was still not a very smart mom. I kept the kittens hidden for a couple of days and then brought them to “my” home- to the people that fed me. Here’s where I’m glad my people looked out for me. I was hiding the kittens in the bushes again and wouldn’t let the people close. Then one night we had a HUGE rainstorm! I didn’t know what to do so I ran away to find a better spot…leaving my kittens in the mud. Luckily the woman realized I might need help and she came out in the dark to check us and found them all in the mud. She scooped them all up- took them in the garage- dried them off and made us a nice bed. I was thankful for that but not ready to share them with anyone yet…so I hid them…but this time I was smart enough to hide them inside the garage!
I think the people knew where I was- but they left me alone to care for my kittens- I’d come out to eat and all…but them I’d go back into my hiding spot. This worked well until my kittens got a bit bigger and got wild! They were wandering all over the place and I couldn’t keep them hidden. The people made us an area so the kittens were safe and I could come and go as I wanted.
A few weeks went by and then all of a sudden I only had 3 kittens! I wasn’t sure what happened to the two at first (later I learned they got good homes). I had the other three to watch over still. What I didn’t know at the time is that my food each day was being put inside a cage of some sort. The door never shut on me- so I thought it was safe. I’d go in- eat and come out. All was good! Well one night and went in and the trap door slammed shut. I was SO SCARED! I had no idea what was happening to me. Next thing I know- I’m getting into something and we are moving. We stop and get out and I get taken into a new place and there were soooo many other cats! We were all crying and upset. I learned that we were all feral cats and were the lucky ones!
Why were we lucky? We were all getting “fixed”…apparently that means we won’t have more kittens…and then we got to go back to our homes/areas. This is called TNR…we get trapped- neutered and then released back out. Now some people say this is bad…we should get homes…but first of all I can tell you- there are a LOT of us “invisible” cats out there…way more than available homes…we come out at night- when no one is around- we take care of ourselves as best we can and some of us like being wild. I do.
After my procedure- I came back to my home. My kittens were not there but I knew the people cared about them- so I wasn’t worried. I got to stay in the garage and get better for a few days…and then I went back to my days as a wild and free (and now non-kitten producing) magical cat!
I probably should clarify here what I mean by free. I have a pretty good gig. I’m free to do what I want. I won’t let anyone close enough to pet me…but I have the luxury of being fed every day…I have a cat bed…on cold nights I sleep in the garage – I even learned to use a litter box! So I have the best of all worlds! I get to stay warm and safe…I even am allowed to bring my friend Legs inside with me when I want. I still make the woman laugh all the time when I magically appear in front of her! She never sees me unless I want her to! She talks to me all the time and when I’m in the mood- I talk back to her to let her know I appreciate my home (and sometimes I’m telling her I’m hungry and need more food!!) I see two of my kittens Duffy and Tippy in the window on occasion (they live in the house now). They tell me they are happy. They love being inside and being cared for. This makes me happy! I choose to live the way I do- but I don’t want them to have a hard life.
My hope in telling you my story is that you might think differently if you see a feral cat. We didn’t ask to be born out in the wild…but that’s what we know. We try and survive- we don’t mean to get in the trash when we do- but sometimes that’s all we have to eat. The best thing you can do for us is help us get fixed so there are not so many of us…if we are friendly- bringing us inside your house or barn is awesome…but if we are not- please let us back outside. We will help keep the cat population down in our area …keep the mice away…and we will most likely find ways to make you smile!
