playing string

It was a week ago tonight, that I looked out into BK's house and was shocked to find kittens and mama kitty. Sadly, they haven't been seen since.

I have looked around the neighborhood to find likely places they might be. I'm guessing they might be in the next alley over in an old enclosed but open unused garage or perhaps somewhere else on the same lot. This is the view from the alley.

The house, which is directly across the street from mine, is the type where rooms are rented on a short term basis, so people frequently come and go. A few years ago I awoke to the bangs of the SWAT team kicking in the door of this house, two police snippers were hiding in my yard with their riffles pointed toward this house. So, let's just say the renters here tend to be a little sketchy. I don't know any of the folks who live there currently, but have told myself that next time I see one of them out and about, I'm gonna ask them about mama kitty and the kittens. To their credit, two of the previous tenants helped me rescue little Rose from the engine compartment of one of their trucks. So I suppose just because they are sketchy doesn't mean they can't have a heart for rescuing little furry critters, right?!

Meanwhile, BK continues his regular visits. He trusts me more and more, which delights me. He now lets me pick him up and love on him whenever I want. If it's not obvious, I'm really growing quite fond of him. Having him melt into my lap brings me great joy and seeing him relaxed enough to let loose in his play is just awesome!

Here he is playing string on the enclosed back porch:

I desperately want to bring him inside and make him an inside kitty, but he continues to spray on the enclosed back porch to mark his turf. Even after cleaning it up with special enzyme cleaner, Buddy still knows it happened and insists on spraying too. I can't imagine Buddy and BK living peacefully under the same roof, BK seems very easy going but Buddy gets all worked up every time he sees BK. If anyone has any ideas of how I can help Buddy see that BK is wonderful and not a threat, I would love to hear them.

About a month ago I checked into surrendering BK to Purrfect Pals, our local no-kill cat-only shelter, but they were full up at the time. I need to check with them again, meanwhile BK roams around and I fret about his safety and well being.