feral cat – Ruth E. Hendricks

Bob the Feral Cat is 18 Now

Bob was in the Spring mud in the driveway this Sunday afternoon. Looking spry! I took a quick photo of him

I thought he looked pretty perky after going through a rough spell in January. Steve would bring him into our basement when the weather turned severely cold.

Steve takes such good care of him. Bob truly isn’t totally feral anymore. Our elderly neighbor had cats years ago but then went to a senior facility. We were able to capture him and another cat, had them fixed and then released.

Bob never had a tail. Bobtail.

March 22, 2026 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: animals in the city, Cat, feral cat, mud, photography, postaday, Spring 5 Comments

Yes, Oct 16th is Feral Cat Day

Oct 16th is Feral Cat Day. Click for information about this organization Alley Cat Allies

Bob is our 17 year old feral cat. He doesn’t have a tail. Granddaughter Anna named him.

He’s really Steve’s cat as he has fed and watered him all this time. I’ve pitched in on occasion but Steve had dedicated himself to his care.

Here’s Bob the Cat. Steve takes such good care of him. I’m certain that’s why he’s lived so long.

It’s a long story but we were able to catch, fix and release two young cats years ago. Our 90 year old neighbor had cats who were fertile and she moved to an assisted living home but the cats remained next door.

This is a from 2017. Bob lets Steve pick him up sometimes. Here they are the front porch

My sister photographed Bob’s Christmas house last year

October 16, 2024 by Ruth Categories: Animals in the City, Cat, PhotographyTags: Alley Cat Allies, Bob the Cat, Cat, feral cat, Feral Cat Day, front porch, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday 11 Comments

Bob, The Feral Cat, at Home

My sister Mary started this by photographing Bob’s new home on our front porch.

I went out tonight and captured the lights on Bob’s tree

Steve just took this photo. He’s not in the house but looks like he’s waiting for something.

Steve was able to get a photo of Bob peeking out of his home

Bob has his name, thanks to granddaughter Anna. Bob has no tail since birth. And he is fifteen years old which is way beyond normal life expectancy for a feral cat. He’s well cared for by Cat Daddy Steve.

Laura got that cat wreath for Steve at a church festival years ago. Believe it not, Bob has a handknit wool shawl inside this little cat home. There’s also capability for heat but it’s not cold enough yet.

Bob is ready for Christmas. we didn’t want to traumatize him by trying to entice him inside for the shoot

December 22, 2023December 22, 2023 by Ruth Categories: Animals in the City, Cat, PhotographyTags: cat shelter, Christmas Tree, feral cat, front porch, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday 17 Comments

Through a Porch Door Screen

This is Bob, short for Bobtail, as he does not have a tail. The least feral of feral cats. Steve takes such good care of him. He found a spot of sun and enjoyed the new Kalenchoe centerpiece on my porch table.

October 2, 2020 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Cat, city life, fall, feral cat, front porch, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, sunshine, weather 11 Comments

We’re Really Going to Appreciate the Arrival of Spring This Year

Here is Long Tail the feral cat in the garage. You may know the story about Ann next door who was in her nineties and passed and we caught two of the four young cats she’d collected and had them neutered and vaccinated and released. How they survive the sub zero temps is astounding. Steve feeds them and made a shelter.

the garage floor cause the door is open. Great snow dusting on old leaves for texture.

Frost on the screen and glass

Bloomfield

Red light in Bloomfield on Friendship Ave

February 26, 2015February 26, 2015 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Cat, city scenes, commute, feral cat, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh Photography, postaday, snow, snowy day, travel, winter, winter scenes 9 Comments

Feral Cat Face and Collective Nouns

I’d gotten home from school, opened the door, put my school bag down. When I went back to close the door, there was this face- asking. Asking to eat! This is one of the two feral cats who were my neighbor’s kittens, one of the two we were able to capture and release after having them neutered and given a rabies shot at Animal Rescue League– four years ago now.

Remember my neighbor Ann P. had a clutter, clowder, pounce of cats. I had to look that up as I was thinking “colony” not herd or gaggle. (click here to see what other animal groups are named under collectives.) Ann P (90+) passed away and we were able to get two of the four young cats taken care of and those two are still coming around. Don’t know what happened to the other two.

This one has a particularly expressive face. (iPhone shot) I call it Long Tail. The other one has no tail and I call it Bunny Boy but granddaughter Anna calls him Bob which works as he was born without a tail.

Maybe you saw an earlier photo of this same cat- in the catnip with the matching green eyes, in the major snow storm or just in my driveway.

November 6, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Cat, In the snow, PhotographyTags: animal rescue league, Cat, collective nouns, feral cat, home, iPhone photography, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday 13 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit

This week’s challenge of free spirit was exactly that- a challenge!

Here’s a gallery of free spirit (to me) as I perused the archives, thinking about the definition.

My interpretations have a wide range of the meaning- including a feral cat, The Angel of the Waters Fountain in Central Park, Andy Warhol, a motorcycle guy choosing to go helmet less- free spirit not limited to flower children dancing at Woodstock or Haight Ashbury. I should have gotten a few of my friends to pose and I don’t have consent to post some shots I already have but I when I think free spirit, they come to mind. Next week is the Art Fair in the Park in Mellon Park Pittsburgh so I’m thinking an opportunity for new images of free spirit.

I found this quote on another blog but when entered this text it says author unknown-

“Free spirits are inclined to explore life and taste new experiences that hold true to the deepest parts of themselves vs. being influenced by what the masses around them are doing. They are often people who think freely and have the courage to hear their own voice and follow their own integrity.”

One of the feral cats we were able to capture, get fixed and inoculated. There are two and we feed them on the back porch. Our neighbor Ann had cats, cats, cats and then moved to a home and then passed away and we inherited the two that called this neighborhood, home.