I was just talking yesterday with a friend of mine who has a formerly feral outdoor kitty. She said it took over a year for him to come around, but now, while still not totally trusting of people, he's much friendlier. I've heard that if cats are not socialized by the age of 9 weeks, they will typically retain some of their feral tendencies. I've always been confused by Misty. We adopted her when she was approximately that age and she was totally wild. It took her ten years to get to the point where she would even be in the same room with me comfortably. And she was in the house, with three other housecats all the time! I have no clue what her thinking was. She has only recently, like within the past few weeks, gotten to the point where she will get on the bed with me and rest her paws on my legs. Still no lap, but she's edging ever closer. She will be 14 next month, and has been with me since she was a baby.

Cats! Bah.

I need to learn to ID chickadees, because I'm sure we have those, too. I now have ten bird feeders, so needless to say, my backyard is busy!