Gardening, Dogs and Cats

[robby]

I mowed another third of the lawn, and finally I feel that I have the grass under control. I've also started watering the half of the lawn that gets watered.

The cats and dogs are fine. I haven't seen the mystery cat, but something is eating all the food and water at night.

Cat #5, even though I know he was once a pet, seems very afraid of most people. Yesterday, his route to my yard was blocked because my neighbors were outside. This morning, things are again quiet, and he's coming at mealtime.

You read studies that claim cats are not sociable, but Cali, over the course of time, moved to the side yard and integrated with the other cats. She will even sometimes groom the orange and tabby cat. She also wants me to pet her regularly.

Dinah has developed into a really sweet dog. She's very nice to the two male dogs, and seems so happy to have her very own blanket in a corner of the living room. I washed the blanket today, which seemed extra special to her.

Comments

[conuly]

You read studies that claim cats are not sociable

I don't. I see a study that claims anything of the sort and I recognize it as junk science. Our society is weirdly obsessed with this idea of the loner cat, but one of the chief differences between housecats and their nearest wild relatives is that the domesticated cat is a social animal. That's why ferals, if they're being fed, live in colonies.

[robby]

I remember a study in the UK, where they put tracking devices on all the neighbourhood cats, and mapped their movements over time. The takeaway was that cats avoid each other.

That is so different from my experience with these cats I've adopted. They like each other and have formed a little society.
Cali has deliberately joined the others, without any nudging from me.