I went outside this weekend and walked through my favorite garden area to look for the cats. I found the same black cats again that I already showed you previously when I uploaded the black kitty gang post. Some of them were on the roof of a garden shack. I actually photographed one of them while it was scratching on a tree that grew over the shack and I will show you the photo in the future too. But I was on that path and one of the black cats walked into my direction and it wasn’t shy. So, I shot the photo you can see at the top. I like the walking pose and I think the image shows that the cat wasn’t shy. The photo in color wasn’t exactly bad but I liked it a little bit more in black and white but you will find the colored photo at the end of the post too.
I got some more information’s about the black cats that I regularly find at the same spot. A nearby garden tenant told me that they’re definitely stray cats but the surrounding tenants feed them, as I’ve already heard often. I was also told that a local animal welfare organization does catch some stray cats in the garden and then they get neutered and unleashed at the same spot where they were found. I really like that but I assumed that already because I’ve done my research. It’s probably not entirely possible because I’ve heard several times that there are quite a lot of cats but it’s good to know that something is done. So, it’s safe to say that there are both, cats with owners, and stray cats in that area. But many of them are indeed stray cats but they found places where they are fed, which is why I find some of them again and again roughly at the same perimeter. It also explains why they’re so well-fed, it’s because people take care of them.
An elder couple told me yesterday that they don’t have cats but that they regularly buy cat food for the cats that roam around near their garden plot. That’s not the first time garden tenants told me that. I continued to talk with them and the elder woman said “I’ve heard we shouldn’t feed them” but the elder man added, “It’s not the fault of the cats, it’s the fault of us, humans, that there are so many”. I agreed and said, “Yes, that’s right”. I think since an organization does catch some of them for neutering and releases them at the same place afterward, and combined with the fact that people continue to feed them, it isn’t really a problem but a solution for the cats. So, you can say that many of the cats there are stray cats that found their place. And if you ask me, it’s a very good place due to all the shrubberies where they also might hunt for mice and birds. Here is the photo in color…
Diary of Dennis 
It is a good solution for the cats. The older ones would not be easy to tame so they are happy where they are. As the animal welfare group is getting them neutered the problem should not get bigger with more kittens unless of course, people continue to dump pregnant cats in the area. It is not the cats’ fault, they are just doing what comes naturally to them. It is humans who have abandoned them in the first place.
I do worry about cats hunting, they can do a lot of damage to wildlife but they deserve to live too. I think the community around the gardens are doing the best job they can and many probably enjoy having them as surrogate pets.
Yes, they wouldn’t be easy to tame. I’ve heard it will never be possible again to make a stray cat become a home cat. I’ve heard from an animal welfare activist that they would tear apart furniture and they will attempt to get outside again. So, the current solution is the best and the animal welfare group will hopefully continue to work with a vet.
Yes, so far all people in the community told me that the cats became dear to their hearts. Depending on which alley I take in that area, everyone knows different cats but I know many of them and often reply “Ah, yeah, I photographed that cat” when they tell me details or stories about them 😀 There are however some cats that prefer the shrubberies and avoid humans. I’ve seen some but they’re super hard to photograph. I might upload some photos of them in a “bad cat photos”, but those are distance shots or with lots of shrubberies in the foreground.
It’s funny, some people in that community know me already well as the cat photographer and we regularly have chats and they give me information, like yesterday when someone described a cat I haven’t photographed yet. I got told which alleys to look 😀
You have obviously become quite well known locally for your cat photos. It’s nice that people take an interest and tell you where to find different ones. I’m sure it is true that you can’t tame a completely feral cat. I think that rescue workers can sometimes do it with kittens but you have to get them while they are very young. Naomi brought one home from the railway yards where we worked once. She was only about ten days old and she and mum took turns to bottle feed her until she was old enough to be weaned. She grew up to be a very affectionate cat because of all the handling but every now and again she would get into a bad mood for no apparent reason. Polly was also a stray but I don’t believe she was from a feral cat. She was not afraid of me or David or Cindy. I think she’d either been dumped or got lost, probably the former. She was about 8 weeks old when I found her.
Good point. If they’re still young, it’s much more likely to work well.
Nice dynamic shot Dennis. Think I prefer the black and white version
Thanks. I shot two more photos of that cat but I liked the photo when the cat was walking the most because the movement makes the photo interesting I think.