It was a chilly 37 degrees by my house after the getaway race at Aqueduct. And that's when I raced downstairs to prepare a good meal for the cats outside. I opened the side door to let the cats know a good meal was coming.

As I was prepping the meal Sad Face the ol' neutered street tom went up on his hind legs against the storm door to peer into the kitchen. The bride got to him and told him that a great meal was coming. He peered at her up close like he always does - with that sad face and the tip of his tongue stuck out. He does that a lot.

All hands were on deck - Sad Face, his former wife and lover Nasty Mom, Ginger, Mr. Orange, Garfield, Bosco, Catty Patty and Tuxedo.

The cats were fed platters of wet cat food, canned chicken and sardines. They also got a huge bowl of kibble and a generous serving of warm water to ward off the chill. Warm clean beds are available for everybody in the garage and so are cat condos on the deck with great cushions and loads of fresh hay that the wife orders on-line and has delivered in huge boxes. Cats nest in the hay to stay warm overnight.

It's November now and the cats are eating. They store up calories with fat in their belly bags down low near their groin for cold weather. House cats carry a belly bag too don't overeat to load up for lean times.

I'd have ten house cats if I could but realistically that's not possible.

Long story short - Sad Face and Nasty Mom begat Ginger and Emily. Emily and Ginger gave birth to nine kittens between them a day apart. Emily didn't want to be a mother and disappeared later on. Nasty Mom was a great cat mother out back to Ginger and Emily.

Ginger was a super mom to her surviving kittens (the white one died and she pushed it to the side) and took on the three near-dead kittens of Emily after two had died trying to nurse dirt. Ginger nursed Mr. Orange, Garfield, Bosco, Tuxedo and the runt girl Catty Patty while going down to near-dead herself with five hungry kittens taking everything out of her.

The wife and I hold a special place in our hearts for the gorgeous Ginger. She was a devoted cat mother beyond belief and yes there were other kitten and cat deaths but that's what happens with feral street cats.

I am happy to report that every feral cat I got trapped, vaccinated and neutered in the spring of 2017 is still alive with good food and shelter available all day every day.