Sewer "Stewie" cat is still around

I've written about Sewer cat before and he is still in charge of his territory  which includes our home.

Sewer is no longer going by that name.  My friend and fellow cat lover Crazy Anne ( Anne Mercer) calls him Stewie.  My husband of course expanded on the name and calls him Stewart James Mercer.

Life as a feral cat has taken a deep toll on this poor guy but he has a will to live.  Stewie I am sure is infested with ear mites and has some respiratory disease as he is always snotty and breathes with load snorts.  He has had long frozen trails of green snotcicles this past winter making it hard to eat.   Anne sat for over an hour with a small blanket waiting for the opportunity to help him.  Sure enough she tackled him and knocked the snotcicle  off this frantic cat.  Oh how I wish I was there to video that one.

He lives in a dog house on Anne's back porch which provides him some level of protection.  Anne feeds him and has fresh water year round.  We are always certain that his days will soon come to an end and he keeps defying us.  I really do long for him to pass on before another winter sets in.

Stewie seems to trust us but we cannot touch him.  One weekend he popped over and sat near me looking like he had hours to live.  Anne arranged to have a friend put him out of his misery.  She came over with a cage but if you know her it was anything but quiet and old Stewie took off like a bullet.  She turned the entry to the dog house towards the wall of her house and placed the cage with food inside.  However,  Stewie would not be fooled and the next morning he was wet from the rainfall. Giving Anne the evil eye out of anger that he didn't have access to his home she relented and gave him back his condo.

Sometimes, I wonder if he milks his ailments for attention.  I was sitting outside as he ate his bit of food when another Tom in the neighborhood warily walked close.  Old Stewart having nothing to do with allowing that to happen stood up with his Tom Warrior stance and head tilted to the side.  Stewie looked like a zombie cat compared to the handsome younger male.  What was he thinking?  How could he stand a chance?  I was thinking , "Stewie!  Your going to die".  That will to live is such a strong force inside of his soul it doesn't matter that his outside was slowly decaying away.

He almost longs for someone to quietly keep him company and will sit for over an hour nearby but not too close.  I will sit out and talk to him as he stares at me.  I keep hoping that he will not show up one day and that he will be in some kitty heaven playing in the green grass and maybe finding that loving lap to sleep in as someone pets him tenderly. 

He is a lesson in perseverance.  No matter the heat, cold, or illnesses he will fight for this life.  I am sure he is a nuisance to many but it wasn't fair that he is living his life this way. In the future,  I will leave the feeding to Anne and hope that Stewie is the last feral that I will be involved with.

Update on Stewie ~  Crazy Anne and I believe Stewie passed away on January 3rd, 2022 during a horrible snow storm with bitter cold temperatures.  He was taking refuge on her screened in front porch during his last weeks.  She said it was very hard to watch him suffer from his illnesses, often bringing tears in her eyes.  Remember to spay or neuter your pets and keep your kitties inside if they do not have a warm barn to take refuge in.  They are meant to be pets, not turn feral. R.I.P Stewie.  In April, we found Stewie on the side of our garage where he likely froze to death.  Please spay & neuter your pets.