In other news...

There is a large yellow tomcat sleeping in one of my front porch chairs as I write this. He's been hanging around the house off and on for months now — ever since the stray tom who bit me last spring shuffled off this mortal coil. I assume he just moved in to take over the territory left open by Butthead's departure.

I try to be a friend to all stray animals who come my way, but this guy is making it difficult. He comes in the house if I leave a door open, which doesn't bother me in and of itself, but he tries to bully the other cats when he's in here and I end up having to chase him out.

(This is something I do with much more caution than I used to after being bitten last year. Cat bites are really nasty, and last year's incident required a trip to the ER and a follow-up trip to my doctor for industrial-strength antibiotics. Even then, it took a long time for the infection to clear. If a cat bites you and breaks the skin, get to a doctor or ER quickly, even if it looks superficial.)

He also appears to be the father of at least some of the litter of kittens that recently appeared in my next door neighbor's garage. The mother may or may not be Lark the Cat who has previously always appeared in my backyard in the spring, then wandered off when her current crop of kittens was weaned, only to return the next spring. She is also hanging around the house. Her disposition is much better than the tom's, and I don't mind having her around.

I don't feed cats outdoors anymore, because the stray population had just grown beyond manageable proportions. I feed Lark/not Lark, but I make her come inside to eat, and I don't feed this tomcat at all. I don't know where he eats, but I wish he would stay near the food supply instead of at my place. I think I'm going to order one of those humane animal traps online. Then I'll try to catch this joker and at least have him neutered so he'll calm down some and quit making kittens.