3 KNOWN CATS
At least three distinct domestic cats conduct swift boundary walks along the stone walls and courtyard walkway -- Shadow, the sleek black cat, and Marmalade, the white-pawed orange prowler, are the primary identified presences, but three is a floor from direct observation, not a ceiling, and the true count is uncertain. The feline re-identification engine keeps a fingerprint ledger (visual embedding plus coat and marking profile) to tell them apart. They hunt: the resident songbirds and fledglings are their prey alongside field mice, and rarely linger in frame for more than 15 seconds.
| 📍 Known Paddock Territory: | |
| 🍽️ Foraging & Diet: | |
| 🕒 Active Rhythm: | Crepuscular / Dawn (05:15 AM – 06:10 AM) |
| 🛡️ Threat Assessment: | Predation Risk to Resident Birds (confirmed bird hunters) |
| 🩸 Predation Risk: | Moderate • hunts: songbirds (Pip's roost), fledglings, field mice Domestic cats are the sanctuary's main predator of its resident birds; the count of cats is a floor of 3 and may be higher. |
| 🌿 Ecological Function: | Rodent deterrence, offset by real predation pressure on the resident bird population. |
