The cats of Tulfarris

Our very first picture of Tulfarris shows a black dog sniffing on the back patio. I didn't pay much mind to it at the time, it was a just a dog. And those few cats were just a few cats.

But they are as much part of the fabric of our lives as the hills and the neighbors. Linda, our next-door neighbor who dabbles in painting, is also known by the moniker The Cat Lady and the Biscuit Lady. For it is she who every day heads out to the car park with a big pot of kitty victuals and feeds the 19 strays. And it is she who always has a doggie biscuit for Gypsy, the black dog in our picture.

Gypsy theoretically "belongs" to Tommy and Tatiana, who live three doors down. She adopted them by showing up on their doorstep. It appears she was looking for smart people who enjoyed the outdoors, long walks, swimming and hiking. But she has also adopted each of us: Linda for biscuits and temporary digs when her people are out of town, our boys for tossing the squeaky ball and swims in the lake. She chases the stray cats, but delicately sniffs noses with Purdy, Linda's own spoiled beast. And it is not uncommon to find her sniffing around my ankles as I write, since I leave the door wide open on fine days such as this.

Linda also works with the local shelter to capture and have spayed the strays. Mostly calico, this is clearly a select gene pool, recently added to by an outsider Persian/tabby-blooded tomcat, from the looks of this last bunch of kittens. The new mother is just back from a spa treatment at the local vet, and will not be a mama ever again. Now Linda just needs to find homes for three adorable kittens.