This afternoon, I went down one of the roads to get a picture of the old metal roofed barn, before it is entirely obscured by new construction. While standing in a vacant lot about two hundred feet from one of the new houses, I heard meowing. A grey tabby cat was slowly walking toward me, from the direction of the house. When it got close, I could see that it was a female, and quite pregnant. She looked as though she might be giving birth any day now. She was very friendly, and seemed to be healthy. She wasn't wearing a collar or identification of any sort, but I thought that she might belong to whoever lives in the nearby house. But there was something about the way she approached me, rather like a cat who is looking for a home.
Well, I have two cats at home already, and they don't like each other and would certainly not like another cat moving in. As I walked away, she watched me, but didn't follow. I hope she does live in one of those houses, or, if not, gets taken in somewhere. The outdoors is not a good place to have kittens, particularly in that area, connected as it is by open land to the wilder places along the canyon. Coyotes come into the field at night, and even as far as the orchard. As I said, the cat looked reasonably well cared for, but it is possible that someone just dropped her off because they didn't want a litter of kittens on their hands. I'll have to keep an eye out for her, even though I certainly can't take in another stray, myself.
