I seem to have a new cat. I saw her take down a ground squirrel half her size in a lean-to shed out back a couple of days ago. I thought she was just a traveler that I'd never see again, but she's still here and knowingly showing herself to me. With feral cats that is usually a test, a diffident offer of companionship or at least coexistence.

She's a semi-pretty gray tabby that doesn't look like the fierce hunter that she has shown herself to be. I hope she stays and that the bobcats don't make a snack of her, but she's too well groomed to be a true feral cat. She used to be someone's personal cat, and may still be.

Perhaps I'll set out a saucer of milk as an escalation of commitment. She'll have to defend it since this place is well and truly over run by wildlife. I'd welcome her help with rodent control. So, no kibbles for her, but a little milk won't ruin her appetite for rat, squirrel and mouse flesh.

Sadly, that may mean fewer quail close up. The bobcats stay after the quail but keep their distance from me. They are not domesticated and merely tolerate people rather than engaging with them. I've never chucked a bobcat under the chin. The quail take advantage of that, using me as a sort of protective device. A barn cat won't be deterred from the hunt by a familiar human. I'll keep an eye peeled for the tell-tale signs of quail being torched, and attempt to administer charm lessons if needed. Cats will, reluctantly and inconsistently, modify their behavior when pressed.

She won't be a pet in conventional sense. She'll never be in the house and never be a member of the family or an owned animal. She's more like a neighbor, someone who lives independently in a nearby home and that I am on good terms with. I'll be neighborly, give her occasional gifts of milk, and respect her territory.