Word: Clowder

 

clowder

[klou-der] / ˈklaʊ dər /

noun

1. a group or cluster of cats. 

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                   Neil set out the trays. Currently they were empty, but that would not last. He would not get very far otherwise. He reached into the canvas bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out several cans. He opened them and spread the contents onto the trays. Immediately, they were assaulted by a group of small, furry bodies.

                   He stood and moved a few paces away to let the group of feral cats eat. He sat against a wall and watched. Neil wondered if today was the day. The day when one, or maybe even two, of the cats would finally allow contact for anything other than delivering food. He had his eye on two of them in particular. An orange male and a cow patterned female. The two were obviously a bonded pair, so if he took one, he would take the other as well.

                   But that was only if the cats accepted him as their human. So far, that had not happened. Neil had been feeding the clowder for a few months, but cats were cats. Their trust was slow to earn, and he did not want to uproot the animals without feline approval. He was confident he was winning them over though. When he started the feedings, they wouldn’t get anywhere near the cat food until he was gone. Now they waited for him to arrive.

                   He did consider trying to TNR the entire group, but that would be hard. Trapping them would inevitably ruin what trust he had built with them, and none of the local vets or shelters were equipped to handle this many. He had checked several times and places. At least the town was aware of them. Hopefully someone would be able to make sure the local kitten population did not explode too much.

                   Suddenly, all the cats stopped eating. They looked up and all in the same direction. Neil followed their gaze. Was there another animal there? Maybe something big enough to be a threat? No, there were no large predators in the area. The cats moved away and lay down. Several of them rolled over, showing their bellies. That was not something he had seen before. Or even heard of.

                   Two cats came from down the road. Two cats followed by three kittens. The newcomers moved slowly, moving each leg with a sedate pace. They arrived at the feeding area and sniffed the food. Neither ate any of it though. Instead, they moved towards Neil. They sat upright, tails curled around themselves. Both of them were grey tabbies, with one being a male and the other female. But there was something odd about them.

                   The way they acted. They way they looked at the human. Neil got a sense that they were examining him. Judging him. And not in the way people often joked about cats doing. Actually judging him. Like a human would.

                   The female turned to the three kittens and stood, moving behind the tiny bundles of fur. She nudged the three of them forward with her head. The kittens sat, looking like children who were being forced to sit still.

                   One of the kittens was black, another white, and the third grey. And they were solid in those colors. Even their noses were the same as their fur. The only parts that were of different colors were their eyes. Neil looked over the three of them. They were tiny things, and damn near the cutest kittens he had ever seen.

                   The black kitten was the first to move. It went right up to Neil and climbed up onto him. The white one was next, with the grey baby being more hesitant to join its siblings. Once all three were on his lap, the two parents turned and left without another look back. The kittens watched their parents go without complaint. Well, the grey one seemed like it wanted to go after them, raising a tiny paw in their direction, but even that one did not say a thing.

                   Neil watched as the two parent cats turned a corner and vanished. Whatever spell that had come over the rest of the clowder vanished and the regular cats dove on the food again.

                   He looked at the three kittens and a small smile crossed his face. It looked like he was going home with cats after all. The circumstances might have been odd, but life and cats worked in mysterious ways.