The neighborhood cat - a photo on Flickriver

            This good-looking B&W feline is all over the neighborhood, all the time, day and night. I don't know who owns her or if she gets fed or gets to sleep indoors. I see her on various porches lounging in front of the front doors. Sometimes she hangs out under cars, on the sidewalk, in the grass. She seems pretty comfortable in the neighborhood. She's mellow when she sees dogs getting walked. No panic, just knows how to stay out of the way, and then follow at a safe distance. She comes over to say hello when she sees me, lets out a big MEOW, I say hello back to her and usually ask her what she's been up to. She looks me in the eye. She's not unfriendly, but never rubs against my leg or rolls over in a submissive way or begs for petting or follows me very far up or down the block. Our relationship is a friendly aloofness, which seems to suit both of us just fine.

A couple weeks ago I suggested she come by and patrol my backyard as I'd seen a couple mice (or small rats) in the palm tree and on the top of the fence. (On boom-boom-boom noisy 4th of July they were running around like crazy in the palm tree.) I'd never seem her in my backyard, but I thought it'd be good entertainment for her instincts. And useful for me.

About four days after that, in the middle of the afternoon I walked out my kitchen door into the backyard and she came walking around the corner of the house to the right of me letting out a couple big MEOWs. I said hello, of course, and welcomed her first visit. She walked across the deck to the other side and laid down. It was kind of hot out so I went inside and got a bowl of water and left it near her. I asked how the mouse/rat hunting was going. Then went back into the house. A short time later she moved from that spot to another about 20 feet away closer to the back gate. She was looking around a lot, not like she was worried for her safety, but probably hoping to score a challenging lizard or bird.

I went on about my business in the house, at some point she left, and I didn't see her in the backyard again... until a couple days ago. I just happened to be in the right place to see her come into the yard.

It was dusk, she entered the yard from a hole in the fence near the back gate, the one off the alleyway. She entered the yard as though on a mission. She took an intentional path, sticking close to the garage wall. Went over to the base of the big palm and about 2 feet from it, faced away from it. She may have sprayed it; I'm not 100% certain. She took a small, intentional step further away, and then froze, looking around, especially to her left. (That was the area she emerged from the first time I saw him in the yard, and it's also an area I've seen rat or mouse feces in.) She was totally still and totally focused for about 20 seconds. Then she left the yard with focused intention by the same protected route she'd entered by.

Pretty cool neighborhood cat!

Taken in: United States / California / Kimball (show map)

Taken on: May 29, 2020

Tags:

B&W

cat

aloof

not unfriendly

animal

urban

outdoors

iPhone

fortuitous foto

minimal

square

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Sets appears in: • 1:1 square • minimal / abstract more » • Oxnard CA • iPhone images • pet friends « less

Groups appears in: • Simple and minimalistic • Photos taken with an Apple iPhone more » • B Square • 500x500 • Urbanjunglism - Urban jungle minimalism • Kwadrat / Square (no portrait) • Amazing iPhoneography « less

Camera: Apple iPhone 7, f/1.8, 1/15 sec, 4mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Apple iPhone 7
Lens:	iPhone 7 back camera 3.99mm f/1.8
Aperture:	f/1.8
Exposure Time:	0.067 sec (1/15)
Focal Length:	4mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	13.4.1
Show full info

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