Not the post I was going to make...

If you are new to my second blog...Walter's World...I currently have 16 cats both domestic and feral but they are all OUTDOOR cats. Due to this, I make homemade cat shelters that I refer to as "cuchas" in Spanish to house them during the winter and/or during inclement weather.

When Grayson had her five kittens eight months ago, I went to great lengths to make sure I actively interacted with them so they would not become feral and I believe I have succeeded. I did the same with Luna's only surviving kitten Bianca and the Siamese kitten...Suzy...that someone dumped at the house. The seven of them, now six with Karen's passing get along very well much to the chagrin of the other cats.

Bianca (it is hard to see her since she is so dark) and Mikey...

Darla...

On the back porch...

In the mudroom Mónica, Bianca, Suzy, and Mikey...

On another occasion also on the back porch...

Since it has been so cold this winter I decided to house the six of them in the mudroom where they are safe and place water and a litter box so I would not have to keep the door partly open to facilitate their coming and going when they wished.

Unfortunately, we have also seen unseasonably warm temperatures for this time of the year but felt bad kicking them out so I let them continue to sleep in the said mudroom. I heard them fighting last week but I was so sleepy I decided to let them resolve whatever the issue was on their own.

Later that morning, I found many of my shoes on the floor. I have old bookshelves in the mudroom where I keep my tennis shoes as well as miscellaneous items. I picked them up and did not give it another thought...that is until this morning...I felt there was someone or something in the mudroom.

I figured it was probably one of the feral cats who had gotten in and was hiding. Then I saw a big turd that definitively did not belong to a cat or a dog. Some of the spare cardboard boxes looked like they had been peed on and I found some more poop in the back of the other shelves and I began to get worried.

This morning it was cold and gray, we had a brief shower and the darn free-range chickens had pooped all over the yard.  My plan was to lay out a tarp and empty the content of the mudroom in order to clean it out. I placed the soiled cardboard boxes in garbage bags and when I reached for another I found it to be heavy...moved some of my plastic containers out of the way to reach it and when I did...there was a WHITE POSSUM inside showing me his or her teeth!!! 

I let out an ear-piercing scream that scared the cats and I ran back into the kitchen. This is not the first time it has happened to me...the last time was back in 2019...I also documented it on this blog at the time. The darn possum ruined my day!  I went online to see how I could get rid of it but after reading my own blog I recalled all the methods I had since forgotten but they will have to wait for another day.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.

Stores running low on cat food

I buy my cats food at Tractor & Supply 99 percent of the time since I have a bad back and the employees will place it in my buggy as well as take it to my car. It is difficult to get someone to do that at Walmart or HEB.

I watch many Prepper Channels on YouTube and they have been sounding the alarm for a while now of a scarcity of pet food nationwide. Tractor & Supply while they do have dog food their cat food aisle is not as well stocked.

Like everything else, the price has almost doubled. I buy their store brand which is more affordable. I am a member of their store bonus points (I do not recall the actual name) and they will send you a survey every time you make a purchase. I noticed that the size and color had changed in the past months. Then I read one of the reviews and it was from a person who like myself purchases it to feed the feral and stray cats where they live. They noted the change as well and added that even the feral cats will not eat it and questioned if their supplier has changed and if this product was now made in another country.

While my cats did eat it at the time...the last two 36 lbs bags I bought have mostly gone untouched. They smell it and then walk away unless they are starving. The only ones that seem to not care are the free-range chickens our worthless neighbor does not feed and who come over to Mom's property to freeload.

I went last week to T & S to purchase another brand but they were completely out of cat food. I had no choice but to go to HEB and while they were low in inventory they had some. 

I bought three 16 lb bags of their HEB brand. At least I was able to place them in my buggy as well as my car without assistance.

They had dog food but their shelves needed to be re-stocked.

If you have pets be forewarned and stock up. Thank you for visiting Walter's World.