Wild cats were a bit of a problem out here a few years ago, with newly born scrawny kittens running about everywhere. Something had to be done especially as a few young children had been scratched, usually because they tried to pick the animals up. To solve the problem a group of local vets started working with complex owners/managers and local residents. they would contact the vets if a new litter or kittens were seen wandering about the complex and the vet or a volunteer would come down and trap them, take them back to the surgery and neuter them. They were then, if still young enough, given to cat rescue centres to get used to human company and be re-homed. Those considered too wild would be released back into the complex. All this work was, and still is, carried out by collection boxes in bars dotted around the area. The wild cat population has dropped considerably and most of those still about can't have kittens.
A couple of months after moving to my present apartment, on the first floor, I looked over the balcony and a wild queen was laying on the grass while her two scrawny kittens were feeding. Initially I did nothing but one night in my wisdom when the kittens were taking solid food they managed to scavenge from the bins, I made the big mistake of throwing a couple of small pieces of chicken down to them when I was having dinner.
Suprise suprise the next night they were right there, looking up expectantly for their scraps. It was down hill all the way from there on in. A week or so later when I arrived back from work in the early hours they were sitting, waiting, at the bottom of the stairs leading up to my apartment. That night, feeling a bit mellow, I left the door open and put a saucer down with a few chicken scraps in it. Sure enough very warily, first one then the other ventured in. I'd put the saucer close to the door so they knew they had a fast escape route.
Included in the next weeks shopping was a big bag of own brand cat biscuits. I'd been fully adopted.
I have barred security gates on the door and patio so during the day, even if I go out they can come and go as they please and there's always food down for them. They learnt very quickly after one or two taps for jumping on the work tops that indoors they have one big chair with an old sheet thrown over it that they can lay or sleep on. Other than that it's the tiled floor or patio.
They know that if I am going out or to work at night then so are they. They are not allowed to stay in at night and first thing in the morning when I open the patio doors their they are, waiting for their first meal of the day after a hard nights hunting.
