Seeing triple???

We have three cats.  But only two black cats.

One black kitty, two black kitties.  THREE black kitties???

And either my eyes are deceiving me (and I just got an eye exam and new glasses), there is a strange reflection in the window (doubtful there could be a reflection as it is a really really dirty window) or there is another black cat outside on the back balcony.

I guess it shouldn't come as that big of a surprise as I've been covertly feeding the little bugger.  It's been about two weeks since s/he has been hanging around the homestead, but mainly by the barn.  I saw it eating leftover chicken scratch out of the chicken bowl one evening as I was putting the chickens in for the night. What cat eats chicken scratch??  Well, a starving one I figure.  So every night I've been putting some kitty kibble out there for it, hoping to eventually lure it into the chicken / goat barn so I can have a bonafide Barn Cat. 

There was another tabby that was hanging out around the barn last year, but when we got Harley, BK (short for Barn Kitty) decided it was safer to live somewhere else and moved on.  Which is all well and good as he wasn't a very friendly cat anyhow.

The black cat is nowhere as skittish as BK, and will even come around when I call it (meow-meow-meow) around dinner time.  I haven't been closer to it than this afternoon, although it was through a glass door.  I'm hoping to eventually get it friendly enough that I can trap it and take it to the vet for shots and fixing.  I am concerned about Evil Kitty and Susan though, as they are indoor / outdoor cats and I don't want any cat fights happening, so I've been keeping them inside as much as possible.  

I would be thrilled to have a real barn cat.  The mice in the barn drive me frekking insane.  And Paul DID say that I could have another cat as long as it stayed outside.  Now I just have to convince the new feline that the barn is a wonderful place to hang out, eat and sleep.

And what is it with black cats and me?  Susan was a stray that we brought with us from Illinois and Evil Kitty was found here by one of our dogs.  Now this black cat. Would it be that much to ask for a Calico?  Or even one of those "boring" orange cats? 

Paul's Take
Would it be that much to ask for all the cats to stay outside?  I don't like cats. They're fility creatures; they piss & crap in the house, and not always in the stinky litter box.  She can have all the barn cats she wants as long as they STAY outside. Susan and Evil Kitty started as outdoor cats.  Then they somehow managed to make their way into the house.  I will divorce her if another stinking cat comes in this house.


PS  - If you want a "You'll piss yourself it's so funny" cat story, hop on over to Prairie Cat's Tale of the Vent Kitty.