Hi Annie
I agree, it looks as if hoglet is not planning on hibernating at all. I managed to see her in real time a few nights ago and it looks as if she has grown quite a bit since I last saw her (not always easy to tell on video). I know it seems as if I am lucky still having a hog around, but it is very much a mixed blessing. It is much more of a responsibility than in the Summer to make sure there is sufficient food for her. Knowing there can’t be much in the wild this time of year.
You know what I said about the rat last time … yes, it was back that very night!
Things went downhill re. Outwitting the cats too. One tabby and white, quite large looking, cat decided to have a go at getting into the new feed box. It was first seen on video getting it’s front half in and then reversed out – looked very funny. Later I saw it licking it’s lips as if it had just eaten. The bowl was empty in the morning and hoglet usually leaves some, so I was susupicious that cat had managed to get in. The next night there was a clip of it crouched just outside the box, but it looked as if it’s tail was inside the box, as if it had just come out. Again, licking it’s lips and again the bowl was empty in the morning. On one occasion hoglet went into the box and was back out again within the space of the 20 second clip, so I imagine she found the bowl was already empty. I just don’t know how on earth the cat managed to bend itself round the two partitions, but think it must have done.
It was quite worrying to think poor hoglet may not have had any food for two nights – I don’t know if she is getting any anywhere else, but she seems to spend so much time here that it seems unlikely she goes far. I had to put my thinking cap on! How to keep cat out and still let hoglet in and not put her off. I found a half brick in the garden and thought that might work. I put it in the first corner, which left a tiny gap to the side and, I hoped enough room for a hog to squeeze over the top,if necessary. I put a bit of wood one side as a bit of a step, but didn’t have anything appropriate for the other side. I hoped hoglet would persevere and make the effort to climb over the brick if she couldn’t squeeze through the gap. I also put extra food in the box and hog food as well as cat biscuits, just in case.
I was eager to look at the cam clips this morning to see what happened. First hoglet went into the box, stopped, started reversing, but then disappeared into the box. Later, I saw her on clips going in several times. Cat eventully appeared and sniffed around the box, but I didn’t see it try to get in. Rat was nowhere to be seen. A fair bit of the food had gone this morning, but there was still quite a lot left. Brilliant! Looks like it worked – last night, at least. Clever little hoglet! And, yes, I think she must be one of the teleporting hogs, too.
Sounds like you have a few cat strangers around as well. Not sure where all these cats appear from. And don’t their owners feed them?!
