This is our friend Blackie. He is a stray kitty that visits us for food, sometimes twice a day. Then he disappears for weeks or months and we wonder what happened to him. Then he shows up again, patiently waiting at the back door for food.

Our hospitality is somewhat limited because he sprays urine to scent-mark "his" territory, and he is dominant and aggressive toward other cats. We help him the best we can with food, water, and a few kind words.

As you can tell, he is kind of a rough character, which is of course who and what he needs to be to survive in his outdoor environment that includes foxes, raccoons, coyotes, and other stray males. We like to think of him as a noble warrior, just doing what nature designed him to do.

Dad tried to catch him a few winters ago when he was in particularly bad shape, but he was too wily and too fast.