Feral Cats typically don't trust humans - dogs, cars, bikes or anything else moving through their wilderness world. You'd be lucky to ever see one while treking, even if it was calmly watching you from right next to the trail. They vanish at will - probably inspiring the famous Lewis Carol Cheshire cat in the Alice's Aventures in Wonderland story.

But here on the southern tip of New Caledonia's Island of Grand Terre cat food is in short supply. Lizards and Bugs make up their diet unless, of course, they find a couple of humans to domesticate. Then - ooooo la la - it's belly feeding time with carefully selected French Cat Foods (canned and cruchies).

After taming us, the Feral Cat Liane takes us for daily excercise walks. Sometimes she acts as if it a chore - ears back, trudging along after her big pets. Other times she attacks, like Kato of the Green Hornet, appearing out of the bush with arched back and fur-burst tail then dashing off and vanishing with a big silly grin on her face. Playing.

I wanted to take a photo of her racing up a tree or lurking on a tree branch - Chesher Cat Style - and one morning I scrambled down a path were there was a likely tree. Liane thought this was interesting and followed me down. But how to get her into a tree (she does not like being picked up)? I tried calling, teasing, tree tapping, and she just sat there in a very unphotogenic pose waiting patiently for me to get on with the trek. Freddy joined me and tried to coak Liane over to the tree I had selected. Liane ignored us (crazy humans).

Then, finally bored with it all, Liane moved into the shade and... stretched out on an old tree branch in a perfect Chesher Cat Pose. Astonishing what cats can make us do, isn't it? Here's Liane taking Freddy on her morning exercise walk.