Extreme mooching

Queen of the Mooches

Humans can be so insensitive.  If they had any compassion whatsoever, they would know that dry  cat food just isn't good enough. 

For years, the poor outdoor ferals have been trying to educate me.  They hang around the porch door at certain times of day, not so subtly hinting that they are hungry.  Insensitive oaf that I am, I step out the door with the dreaded.....dry food.  As I put the dreadful stuff, in their dishes, they stare up at me with disgust.  Then they politely nibble at it for a minute or two.  And while they're eating, I go about my indoor activities.  Until I glance at the sliding door and see the same cats with their faces pressed pathetically against the glass of the sliding door.  I try to ignore them, but if I pass close enough to the door for them to see me, they stand on their hind legs and start begging.  Sometimes, I'll cave in and get them a can.  As soon as they see the can, they start climbing the screen.  Because of this, the screen has been replaced with heavy duty, pet proof screening.

While the con-cats are mooching at the back of the house, roving tom cats are at the front porch, eating the dry food.  A little while later, the girls are hungry again.  I know this because I'll see a face pressed at a window, or if I step outside, they will charge me.

The absolute queen of the mooches is Vixen.  The minute I step out a door in the morning, she ambushes me.  She is often accompanied by her daughter, Ginger.  This pair is incorrigible.  They will swarm me and start herding me towards the door.  The whole time they will be tripping me and clawing at my pant legs.  If I didn't have such a soft spot for Vixen, I would wring their necks.  Instead, I fight my way through them and into the house, slamming the screen door behind me.  As I get them their blasted canned food, I can see them hanging from the screen and howling.

The dark calico is more subtle.  She will just crouch at the door with her face pressed against the glass.  She looks so mournful, I'd have to be a monster to resist.

Because these mooches are so skillful, I'm probably feeding half the neighborhoods' cats dry food.  My three feline con artists shake me down for canned food and what do I get in return?  They use my potted plants for litter boxes and leave dead mice on my porch.  Better dead mice than live ones, I guess.