# Hospital ferals [photogallery]



## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Hi there, 

as promised some, I would like to share some photos I made. I hope they will be of some interest to you.

These are some feral cats that live on the premises of the hospital I've spent some time last year. They are taken care of by some people I met - they feed them and offer them veterinary help. You may notice, that some of them have cropped ear - this is done in order to differentiate which cat was neutered in the past. 

I've spent over three months in that place so I've had plenty of time to get to know the cats that live there. The place itself is rather gloomy and cheerless, but the cats seems to be happy there.

The entrance gate:










The young ginger that live in the backyard:























































His bored colleague:










The Dark Knight (from the backyard also):



















Bad meets Evil:










The Elderly from the parking lot:














































My personal favourite - we called him Bi-Colour. He, Stella and some other cats all live in the front of the hospital. You may notice the scar on his face...



















Stella, the Princess:














































Bi-Colour's Brother - hangs around the parking lot:










And finally the elevated crossing that I used for some time... The cats are living in the woods you can see just beyond the fence.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Beautiful. Nice to have cats around when ill. Glad they are being taken care of.


( Bi-Colour and his "brother" are probably.. very Likely. Her and her sister?) Both can come live with me!


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Wow, I was certain they are both males - how can you tell? 
I thought that this scar was indication that he was in some fights between the males...


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## Stolismom (Jan 24, 2015)

Albert_The_Cat said:


> Wow, I was certain they are both males - how can you tell?
> I thought that this scar was indication that he was in some fights between the males...


Generally speaking calicos/torties are only female. I've never seen a male in all the cats I've rescued or known when I worked as a vet tech. Not impossible mind you, there are some colorful males out there, just for the most part only female. 

Love the pics  Thank you for sharing!


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Both Bi-Colour and he other are Tortoiseshell cats. only about 1 - 3000 are male.

So I am guessing female. though there is ALWAYS a chance one _could_ be male...

But then I have had a Calico male before. So yes. I happens just not as often!!


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

that was supposed to be 1 in 3000 are male!!

BTW love the eyes on your avatar pic.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I always think of cats that live outside would be thin but those cats seem well fed and plump.


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Thanks, I stand corrected  
That's an interesting fact - my ginger cat's sister is nice tortoiseshell, so unusuall that it was booked just after birth... 

Ursjusz the ginger on the other hand is uniform in his coat.


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

cat owner again said:


> I always think of cats that live outside would be thin but those cats seem well fed and plump.


They are well taken care of - at least two people visit and feed them daily, and there are some money collected inside the hospital for and veterinary care. 
There are some foundations that help in taking care of city feral cats, probably they are backed in this case as well. 

They are so well off that they actually don't want to hunt mice that are present in the compound - or at least I was told so...

And they are beneficial also - it helps the recovery of the patients to see such creatures


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

Thank you for the pictures! They look well taken care of. Glad that people at the hospital care for them.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Wow, I know ferals are outdoors mainly, but how do they keep warm and out of the elements? I'm sure it gets cold enough up there, especially during the winters. Is there a shelter built for them to get in from the cold and rain? 

Such excellent quality photos, though. :thumb I enjoyed looking through all of them. Bicolor would be my favorite, too! She's got gorgeous coloring, and I'm always intrigued with calicos and torties, lol. Guess Botany & I would be competing with you if we were up there with you, lol. :wink:


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

TabbCatt said:


> Wow, I know ferals are outdoors mainly, but how do they keep warm and out of the elements? I'm sure it gets cold enough up there, especially during the winters. Is there a shelter built for them to get in from the cold and rain?
> 
> Such excellent quality photos, though. :thumb I enjoyed looking through all of them. Bicolor would be my favorite, too! She's got gorgeous coloring, and I'm always intrigued with calicos and torties, lol. Guess Botany & I would be competing with you if we were up there with you, lol. :wink:


Thanks, I'm glad that you liked the photos  

The cats have their shelters in campus basements. I've noticed many buildings, where the basement windows were left intentionally open for cats to take shelter. 

I've had much difficulties getting those photos because it got cold in November and most of the cats were hidden somewhere.


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## Stolismom (Jan 24, 2015)

That's so kind that so many people are looking out for them. And I can only imagine the healing aspect they play just in their presence for patients to watch them.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Wow, they are certainly very well-fed! BiColor's face is amazing! You managed to get some wonderful photos - each one makes you wonder what the cats are thinking about, and what their lives are like. 

How far away were you when you took these pics? Do the kitties let people approach them?


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

spirite said:


> Wow, they are certainly very well-fed! BiColor's face is amazing! You managed to get some wonderful photos - each one makes you wonder what the cats are thinking about, and what their lives are like.
> 
> How far away were you when you took these pics? Do the kitties let people approach them?


Thanks, I really enjoyed taking those photos  Bi-Colour is amazing indeed, every other day I saw people taking photos of him with their mobiles. She is my favorite as well.

Their lives must be rather happy - they are taken care of, they are fed, they have shelter and spend their time on the sun if the weather is right. The people who take care of them are actually cat maniacs, I talked with the man once and he explained that sometimes he had to keep a close eye on some of the cats in order to ensure that they eat properly they dietary food…

They allow only they caretakers around themselves, so the max approach distance was 1-1,5 meters (3-6 feet)... One of the younger ones allowed to be bet once, but they normally run if you come too close. I used some tele-lenses I own in order to get some nice close-ups without disturbing the cats.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

I love her face also.. I love half masked Tortis!!

She reminds me of Gypsy.. who I lost a few months ago at the age of 3...


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

They are similar indeed, just the opposite. 

Sorry to hear about your loss :-(


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Wonderful photos, you have a way with your subjects. I like the black and white cat in the leaves and the photos of Stella best. These cats are truly living the life they prefer. 
I hope you're fully recovered from being in the hospital.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Albert_The_Cat, your photography is just tremendous! Such gorgeous pictures of those kitties. I think it's so great that they're cared for and get to roam the land. They definitely look well taken care of! 

Seriously, your photography could be featured in magazines, websites, etc. You should definitely look into that (if you haven't already!)  I wish you lived closer, I would pay you in a heartbeat to take pictures of my Ellie and Tootsie... I can never get good photos of them, especially with my low-quality iPhone camera!


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Greenport ferals said:


> Wonderful photos, you have a way with your subjects. I like the black and white cat in the leaves and the photos of Stella best. These cats are truly living the life they prefer.
> I hope you're fully recovered from being in the hospital.



Thanks, having cats of my own helps to get along with other cats indeed  I like picturing cats, they are gracious subjects. 

Stella is one of my favourites as well - next to Bi-Colour. They seems to be pals, since they hang around together. 

I know Stella by name, because I spoke with one of their caretakers - she wasn't born on the premises like many other cats, but rather wandered into compound or was abandoned there. Now she is living her happy cat life there  

I have recovered - the hospital doesn't look encouraging, but they are taking good care of the patients, and cats as well apparently  
I was struck down for four months and was six months on the sick leave, but now I have resumed my job and started taking photos again, which is great  I will share them with you whenever I have something nice 

Best Regards!


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Mandy and Ellie said:


> Albert_The_Cat, your photography is just tremendous! Such gorgeous pictures of those kitties. I think it's so great that they're cared for and get to roam the land. They definitely look well taken care of!
> 
> Seriously, your photography could be featured in magazines, websites, etc. You should definitely look into that (if you haven't already!)  I wish you lived closer, I would pay you in a heartbeat to take pictures of my Ellie and Tootsie... I can never get good photos of them, especially with my low-quality iPhone camera!


Hey Mandy, thanks for the kind words  Photography is my hobby and I'm doing it just for my own fun and for sharing with people who may enjoy them 

I'm subscribed to some photographic sites/blogs and see how amazing other photographers are, so in comparison my photos look pale 

And regarding equipment - the most important it the photographer, not the camera  If you take some time you could probably easily learn the basics of photography, get off the auto mode and take awesome pictures without fancy camera - I'm using outdated dslr because I like the shutter sound and ability to easily adjust the setting with the buttons on the body  

As encouragement, please take a look on this video - the challenge was to take photos with lego camera
http://youtu.be/wX76k-chflo

Best Regards!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

They let you get closer than I imagined they would! Obviously, their contacts with humans have all been positive. Well, I suppose if you're one of them, what's not to like? Humans bring them food, pay some attention to them, and even take their pictures!


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

They have ears! I guess it doesn't get very cold in the winter there? You see a lot of earless cats in rescue where I live, as they get frostbite if they get caught out in the winter time.


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

spirite said:


> They let you get closer than I imagined they would! Obviously, their contacts with humans have all been positive. Well, I suppose if you're one of them, what's not to like? Humans bring them food, pay some attention to them, and even take their pictures!



They don't mind people, there is a lot of movement around the compound, so they are not afraid in general, but they don't let anyone except their caretakers at arm's reach. 

I spoke with a hospital worker recently and she told me that the cats aurally help in recovery is psychiatric ward patients. Taking care of and feeding them is apartamenty beneficial for their therapy


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## Albert_The_Cat (Nov 28, 2014)

Nuliajuk said:


> They have ears! I guess it doesn't get very cold in the winter there? You see a lot of earless cats in rescue where I live, as they get frostbite if they get caught out in the winter time.



It can get really cold alright. Last year we had - 20° Celsius (-4° F) for a couple of weeks. The city cats usually can find shelter in buildings' basements people leave accessible for them. 

During my photo sessions I had hard time finding any subjects for pictures since most of them apparently took shelter from cold - it was just 4° C (40 ° F) in November.


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