Fired!

I’ve been feeding neighborhood cats for a few years. It started when I got two semi-feral “working cats” from a nearby shelter. They disappeared after a few months, so I tried again with two more. One that looks kind of like one of those last two is among the current regulars, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the same cat. Along the way, we’ve had probably twenty-five different cats stop by regularly to take advantage of the food I put out, typically three or four regulars at any given time. One would stop coming, and a few weeks later, a new one would start showing up. That continues to today.

I embarked on this journey in an effort to curb the mouse population. I’d see and have to catch several every year, typically in the winter. The first couple of years after introducing the cats, maybe one mouse made it inside total, even though various cats were involved. I deemed it a success and kept buying food.

Then this month happened. We’ve caught three mice inside the house over the last five weeks. While four cats regularly stop by and eat my food. Wife and I agreed. Since they aren’t doing their part to keep rodents away, they aren’t earning their food. Therefore, when the current supply of food is exhausted, there will be no more. They are fired.