DAY 31:
i'm well into phase 2.
phase 1 was getting her to depend on me for feed
no big deal for me because i give handouts to any wandering critter, mostly dogs.
didn't take long because she was literally starving.
but getting her to come to mooch a meal is not the objective.
food is a great training aid to get her to like me.
that's done. she eats right next to me.
when i set up my nest in the morn, she knows food is coming so she acts for all the world like a house cat.
but the strategic aim is to get her to live in my garden.
phase 2 is convincing her that i do not intend to interfere with her movements.
the garden is a nice place.
i think, as long as she can leave when she wants, she'll think about it n say to herself, ''why bother?''.
i already know that when i go out at 7 to hang laundry, she complains that i work her up, from her end of the garden. she isn't there for food at that hour. she knows breakfast is at 10, n she knows when 10 is.
so, she spends most of the night in the garden, just because she wants to.
today was a real nice cloudy day, n my back hurt.
so, i spent 5 hours out there, observing.
she had her friskies no more than 12'' from me. that's no longer an issue as long as i don't touch her.
then she kept me company for a while, until it was time for her to patrol the garden, which she did.
when she got back, she had a drink n sat down only 2' from me.
that's a first, since no food was involved.
of course, she moved off but stuck around until she had enow of this mad social whirl.
here's the big thing. when she wanted to be alone, she just moved to the far end of the garden n probably took a nap. but she stayed.
after a bit she jumped to the top of a 4x4. zip is right, drifter like being high.
she spent some time checking to see if anything interesting was happening outside of the garden.when she saw nothing interesting she hopped back in.
sounds to me like she thinks this is home.
after that she made her rounds again, checking to see if any food had magically appeared.
she even complained when i went in the house.
if i'm right n she has decided this is home, all i gotta do is get her to accept me moving about.

she does leave the garden, but i tnink she has a certain area staked out that she thinks is hers, so of course she has to patrol it.
i doubt she goes very far.

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susie