Puffy McWondertail, aka Snuffleupagus, aka The Street Sweeper, came for breakfast today. Jim took these photos of him, because he’s a rare sight. First, he always sits on the round concrete table in the catio.

And then he gets closer.

One day I am determined to get a nice shot of him because he is so handsomely puffy, but he will not stay in the yard with us. I still wonder if he belongs to someone because he does not sleep in the outdoor cat houses, and disappears for days at a time. I also haven’t TNR’d many long-haired cats, which is a good thing. Their ample fur is great for warmth, but many of them become matted and need to be shaved. Puffy actually looks pretty well-groomed, which is also why I wonder if someone is out there brushing him.

But he’s addicted to wet food, especially as it gets colder. When he hears us open the back door, he appears magically at all hours of the day and night now. So he must be near by.

Puffy McWonderTail started visiting my yard this past March, at the end of a mild but long winter. I TNR’d him, and he’s been coming back ever since, but as a truly feral cat. He shows up at dusk or night only, and leaves as soon as any human comes into the yard.

Yesterday I caught him hanging out in my yard during a rare late afternoon. He is glorious! He is bigger than ever, and his fur is super puffy and groomed now. I wish I could get a close-up photo for you. He either ignores me, or runs away from me.  He is twice the cat he once was, all thanks to trap-neuter-return.

Puffy is a very fluffy, long-haired cat that comes to my yard irregularly to feed ever since I TNR’d him in 2013.

This past year he’s been looking fluffier than ever. His long-haired coat is magnificent, but starting to look downright disheveled. He’s not easy to capture on camera – he’s a true feral who only visits at dusk or later.

His fur looked out of control, but I had to wait to trap until summer when it is hot enough for him to be shaved. So I zip-tied traps open at the cats’ feeding stations and starting feeding from them to condition the cats to the traps.

It worked like a charm. Last week when I came back from vacation Chicago was nice and hot. I set the traps and quickly trapped Bouncy Bear and Dash by accident. I released them immediately. Eventually Puffy went in very early morning. He looked totally suspicious.

And upon closer examination, I saw I made the right call. His fur was out of control, with huge matts. He looked pretty good, but matts can be very painful – they can be close to and pull on the skin.

I took Puffy to Roscoe Village Animal Hospital, where I take all the feral cats in traps needing additional medical care.

Obviously, Puffy needed to be sedated for shaving. Since he was there, I asked them to update his vaccinations, and give him an exam. He was treated for fleas, but his ears looked clean. His teeth are surprisingly in good shape, so no dental was needed. And they gave him a full body shave.

Puffy, the Lion Cut King.

Doesn’t he look pleased?

He’s lucky I didn’t get him a dragon cut!

His vet bill was $393. If you’d like to make a donation to help cover his care, you can do so at the PayPal link at the top of this page.

I waited until the end of the day to return him back to my yard. Inexplicably, Funny Face started chasing after him when I returned him. Puffy doesn’t really hang out with the other colony cats here – he’s more solitary.

I finally saw him again here last night for dinner, and was really relieved to see that he was doing well, even if the other cats may be laughing at him. You can see the poof at the end of his lion tail. This time he appeared to be hanging out with Dash. Maybe they’re all making sure he is ok?

I thought it was really cold out today, but the James’ Gang Colony stayed true to feral form and were not cooped up in their three heated cat houses. Instead they lounged in the sun all day and showed off their thick winter coats. They only moved when I came out with more wet food for them multiple times. The food froze if they didn’t eat it immediately, so I brought a little bit out all day. They have me trained well.

Dash and Funny Face lounge on the catio even in the winter.

Dice even decided to nap on the roof of the Feral Villa, instead of staying in it.

I’m free, I’m feral, I’m not going to stay cooped up all day.

Ear tips and puffy winter coats are always in style for colony cats.