As I've mentioned here, I'm feeding an awful lot of feral cats in my backyard lately. Two of the most interesting — because they're so deeply in love — are Max and Sylvia. Max is also known as Max the Bulimic Cat because he spends most of the day binging and purging, binging and purging. Sylvia is also known as The Stranger Stranger Cat because she's stranger than (and apparently the daughter of) another cat who comes around who we call The Stranger Cat. The Stranger Cat is friendly and trusting. Sylvia spends most of her time scowling at those who give her food and staying far from them. For no visible reason, about once a month she makes herself available for petting. At all other times, she flees from people.
That's Sylvia scowling in the above photo…but the more interesting thing is where the two of them are. That's Max and Sylvia in their nest. They have a nest. Max found a little area between some bushes and he began sleeping in there…and soon, Sylvia began joining them. They sleep in there, one practically on top of the other. They nuzzle and cuddle and lick each other's faces. They seem very happy to be in there, and they're in there an awful lot.
I had to sneak up on them to get the above photo. When he knows I'm around, Max springs from the nest and hurries to demand food, while Sylvia often flees the yard. This time though, my camera and I were far enough away that I didn't disrupt the serenity of the cat nest. Max, by the way, will share his food with Sylvia but not with anyone else. He may be all stomach but he's also all heart.