Cats and birds

A male cardinal on Gabriel's swing.

One of the neatest things I did last year was to add some water dishes for the birds all throughout our yard.  We already had two big birdbaths, but we had a bunch of little birds that couldn't drink out of them.  It has been amazing to see how many more birds we've had in our yard with the addition of these smaller dishes, especially the smallest bowl, which is part of our St. Francis statue (in the background of the above picture).  I've seen big birds like bluejays and cardinals drinking from that tiny bowl, along with wrens and these tiny black and white woodpeckers.  I was out the day after the ice storm chipping away with an ice pick to make sure they had water, and also making sure there was plenty of birdseed in our two feeders.  It's kind of like our birds are an extended pet family.  I don't think people realize when it's been as dry as it has been in Texas, that not only do birds have trouble finding water, but their food sources start to disappear too.  Gabriel's been watching them more and more, and is starting to talk to them.  "Hey Bood!  Der ya are!  Hi bood",etc ... It's pretty cute to watch.

Also, I've decided to try to get my female cat, Zoe, to be an indoor/outdoor cat again.  She went out whenever I was out at the old house, but when we moved here she seemed so happy that we decided not to let her outside.  Now she stands at the back door and watches us when we're all outside with this really sad look on her face.  But I'm not just doing it to make her happier.  I don't want to have to worry anymore about whether or not someone accidentally lets her out.  This has been a tough decision because we really can't afford more yearly shots and heartworm/flea meds every month for another pet.  But if I can train her to only be out while we're out (which I really think she'll be ok with), then I'll probably only add the monthly flea medication and hope that she never gets into a fight with a rabid squirrel.  So she is currently enduring the humiliation of being on a leash until she gets more of her scent around the yard.  But even with the leash she seems to really love being out there so far, chewing on grass, kneading her claws into tree bark, and listening to all those birds.