Had a couple of predators move in ...

[voyager]

We decided that we needed some new rat traps.
While searching for some traps, these two followed us home from the "dog pond".

I really like black cats!
So, we took a pair of 'em.


This is Hunter.
M'lady has high expectations of him hence, his name.
Because he was the first to figure out the cat door on the lanai, I call him Einstein, or because he is the larger I also call him Stretch, or because he is the more timid I also call him 'Fraidy Cat, and because he is putting on weight I also call him Fat Cat. I also call him the Lover. Of the two of them, he is the lap cat.


Then there is Dexter. M'Lady named him that because he would climb the screened wall of the back lanai to escape through a crack between the wall and the roof.
I wanted to call him Capt. Virgil Hilts, or Cooler King [S. McQueen's character in The Great Escape]. All I got was a blank stare.
So, I also call him Dummy [He would not use the cat door], or Shorty [he is the smaller], or Slim [he is skinnier]. He craves attention, but can't be held for more than a few seconds before he very insistently wants down. He is also the bane of my orchids. Neither one of us understands why, but he is the favorite for both of us.


They're sudden death for geckos, anoles and coqui frogs, with a very high interest in the local avians.
Haven't yet run into any rats that I know of so far.

Their greatest benefit for us so far is comic relief.

[jkofferdahl]

What beautiful cats!

[Leafmite]

Cute!

[WhiteRabbit]

Gorgeous kitties!

[No-Pro-mwa]

Such cute kitties so glad you gave them a home.

[jkofferdahl]

I'd love to have a cat or two in my house right now. There is a vacant, overgrown lot next to my house and this lot absolutely breeds field mice. They have ventured in this house for a number of years but in the past my son's two cats took care of them. He's on his own now and took the cats. Field mice eat orchids, and especially flowers and tender new growth, and while one of my dogs chases them he rarely catches one. Sadly, he also chases cats and has to be separate from them. But a mouser or two might just make me reconsider living arrangements, so a cat could be in the part of the house where the orchids live.

Of course, cats also like to jump onto places they shouldn't and knock orchids off of shelves....

[Sonicles]

Beautiful cats & photos. I have had cats for most of my life but sadly none atm & yes jk, they are very good at climbing & knocking things over. GL

[voyager]

They're growing fast. Although, they're not old enough to appreciate catnip yet. We've designated them as "outdoor cats". They live on the lanai. They eat and sleep there, and have free access to go out as they please, and are not allowed into the house. We go out to the lanai several times a day for pet and play sessions. They may be "outdoor cats" but they are not "barn cats" as the orchids are. When I do my daily walkabout they follow me around the yard.

Hunter is the "needy" one that insistently needs a lap, petting, scratching and rubbing. I think he was weaned too soon for his own comfort.

Dexter is a little "p1$$-ant". He is constantly into things, climbing into areas where he could get hurt. And, his idea of good clean fun is roughhousing by fighting with my hand, gently kicking, biting and scratching as my hand attacks him.

When I saw them at the pound, I was certain they were liter mates. We couldn't tell them apart except that Hunter was a wee bit taller. They played together as if they had been doing so regularly. Now they look very different in their builds, their coats and most assuredly in their personalities. If they were litter mates they had to have had different fathers. The only thing they have in common is their coloring.

I grew up with always having animals around, cats, dogs, horses, bum lambs, etc. Then there were the wild things that were found injured or just caught and brought home for a while.

Then, back in 1985 I had a long term remote job in the Alaskan bush to go do. I had a cat that I had inherited from my son when he left Alaska to go back to the lower 48 and a ferret [I like ferrets]. The cat had been kept by my son and a house full of adolescent guys. She had been teased and roughed up incessantly by those guys. She was smart and soon learned that the best defense was a good offense. She never hesitated to bite or scratch with everything she had and did not like to be held. She was the cutest thing, Siamese coloring with white boots on her black legs and a white mustache on her black nose. But, she was sudden death for any toddler that saw her and said "Oooh, pretty kitty".
I could not find anyone to take them in when I was getting ready to leave for the job.

I do not leave my dirty work for others to do. I took them both out and killed them. These two cats we now have are the first pets I've kept since then. I had not realized how much I've missed having animals around. I'm now beginning to think that my interest in orchids was a sublimation for keeping animals.

[wintergirl]

Sad about the Alaska cats, but happy for those 2 black ones.

[voyager]

OK, we've got cats now. So, you have to see more of our pictures of them.

Cute Dexter

Isn't he the sweetest looking thing? Hold that thought, then look at the next photo.

Dexter's Super Dave persona

I may need to have a long serious talk with him about how he should treat my orchids. He may end up being a short timer. If he was a neighbor cat, I'd a' shot him outa da tree.

After chewing up my orchids, he saw something else that might need some chewing.
Predator Dexter


Hunter is such a sweety-pie. Life in the tropics for a black cat is a bit difficult. I always lived in a northern tier state or Alaska before coming here. I have never seen cats pant as often as I've seen these two panting. Plus, it's only winter now, wait 'til summer. Even I have trouble with the summer temps here.
Poor Distressed Hunter