Environment – Herding cats

Our two chooks first raised the alarm that there was a predatory invader. Their squawking had us running. Shy, the (golden) brown shaver, is about 12 years old and walks with a lumbering limp. Any threat is a serious one.

We saw a slender, grey cat speeding away from the garden. We worried for our chooks, for summer’s fantail whanau, and our free-range, house-and-deck bunnies. We put the word out on local networks asking if anyone had a grey cat that wandered, and could they keep her home. For her own safety.

A couple of weeks later, my hubby was working in the carport when he found a small, weaned, black and white kitten hiding in some rocks. He grabbed the kitten, which sliced his hands open with his claws, and escaped.

Our local vets provide cat traps for a small fee. We thought we’d attracted the cats with some bait, but it turned out we were feeding a hedgehog. After a week or so, we caught the kitten. We put him in a bigger cage while we hoped to also catch the grey cat assuming they were mother and child. The kitten squeezed through the bars and escaped.

The next catch was the adult grey cat. She hissed and cowered. A trip to the vet revealed no microchip. Fliers on all the local noticeboards and Facebook pages revealed no owners.

Online feedback was quick and critical. We were trolled and abused for catching the cat (and keeping her in our laundry), but not (yet) the kitten. We were criticised for trying to find her a new home. We were told we should keep her and not prioritise our bunnies … that bunnies and cats can co-exist, and that the cat had “chosen” us.

Within a few days, the cat, Bella, was purring when I approached, telling me when she wanted food (often), smooching and arching her back for affection. She played with toys, watched my every step, and wanted to be free. She stalked the bunnies and was impossible to contain.

The next week we caught the kitten. He was also unsexed and unchipped. The cat and the kitten hated each other, so we had to keep them in separate rooms, and keep them away from the bunnies. Within days, he too was purring and lying on his back with his soft fluffy tummy exposed for scratching, and his paws pummelling with satisfaction and delight.

No matter what observers said, these two lovely cats were incompatible with my wildlife ambitions, my vegan principles, my bunnies’ safety and the cats’ own wellbeing. So, both now have new homes.

I cried when Bella’s new owners came to collect her. They’d just lost their 15-year-old cat, live in an urban area, and appeared sympathetic to cat ownership that’s responsible for cat and wildlife safety. The kitten is now called Carby (short for carburettor) and his loud purring disturbs his new owner’s sleep, curled up in the crook of his neck.