I started feeding stray cats

[Marthe48]

I heard that someone up the street is feeding stray cats, but evidently not enough, because I've been seeing 2 in my yard. Last week, one or both were meowing at my front door. About 9:30, I heard a tap at the door. I thought it was my neighbor, but when I turned on the light, darned if it wasn't one of the cats. So I started feeding them. There is a tabby and a long-haired black one. I don't know if they are male or female or how old they are. They look healthy. They might be litter mates, but they don't get along that well, maybe after they both get a regular supply of food and they aren't so worried.

I have an elderly indoor cat and I don't have plans to bring these 2 in. After having housemates, she is very content being an only cat and we're leaving it that way. I'm using one pair of shoes to step out on the front porch to put food out, and sanitizing them, then storing them in a room I keep closed. My pet cat is 16 or 17, and I don't want her to catch viruses or other ailments. I feel like getting the cats inside is usually the end game, but feeding them is what I can do now.

I have about 8 bird feeders in the back yard, and last week, I made sure they were all up high enough to be safe with plenty of clearance below. I also tried to eliminate hiding places the cats can attack from. I have a picnic table, covered with tarp. I saw the cats lurking under it and unhappliy, feathers. I recycle aluminum (usually give it to the Humane Society and they recycle), so I had several plastic bags of empty cans. I used them to line the perimeter under the table. The center under the table is open, so the cats have shelter, but if they try to leap at the birds, they are going to make a lot of noise. Haven't seen any more feathers since I did that. The cats get in under my shed, and under the neighbors deck, and under another neighbor's shed, and they go up the hill to the person feeding them up there.

I hope it works out for the best.