One year ago Belinda Tartaglia was out walking her Jack Russell terrier, Shoebox, when a thin, bedraggled, and obviously desperately hungry feral cat spotted her from a great distance and ran towards her.

It was crying piteously, and she recognised it instantly because she had fed it two years previously before it disappeared.

As the cat ran towards her on the street, two others followed. They were part of a feral group that had not been fed for about a week.

So hungry were the cats, in fact, that they ignored the dog and the passing vehicles, and attempted to follow Mrs. Tartaglia.

Concerned for their safety, but already determined to go home and return with food for them, she scooped her dog into her arms, and with great difficulty managed to stop cars from hitting the cats until she shooed them to safety.

When she returned with food and water the feline trio were still in the area, and her mission was duly accomplished ? for what would become the first of 365 days to date.

Mrs. Tartaglia is a firm supporter of the Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau (BFAB) programme, and the seven cats she cares for are BFAB cats.

However, what she provides is at her own expense because her general love of animals is so profound that she believes they are entitled to the same care, affection and treatment as human beings, so a simple feed-and-leave routine was never on the cards for what she now calls her ?boys and girls?.

On day one, she not only saw how thin the cats were, but noticed that one had a terrible fur condition with bare patches all over its body.

It was also exceptionally timid. So vitamins became a regular part of the diet.

A little later, this timid cat (now known as Tarzan for its propensity of jumping from tree to tree), developed an injured leg and disappeared.

Distraught, Mrs. Tartaglia and her husband unsuccessfully searched the bushes late at night with flashlights for the missing animal. When it returned the following evening, she was encouraged, and obtained antibiotics from the veterinarian which she concealed in fresh salmon from the supermarket until it recovered.

?Today, Tarzan is a beautiful, fat cat with a lovely coat,? she says proudly. In fact, he now has such lofty ideas about himself that he will only dine solo on a special little platform Mrs. Tartaglia built for him in a fallen tree, where his china bowl sits atop a little ?tablecloth?.

?My mother calls it ?the penthouse?,? the animal lover jokes.

In fact, all of the cats are now in beautiful, healthy condition thanks to an excellent diet which includes vitamins, worm and anti-fur ball treatments, as well as a constant supply of dried cat biscuits, fresh water, and a succulent evening meal that combines moist cat food with human quality canned tuna fish, and something extra for ?midnight snacks?.

Mrs. Tartaglia readily admits that her life is planned around serving the all-important evening meal, preparation for which begins at home, and if she can?t do it her mother or someone else fills in.

?I prepare their platters before I leave,? she says. ?They don?t like chunky food, so I make sure everything is mashed up, and I mix in their vitamins.?

She also takes along alternative choices for the finicky cat in case it rejects the main entree.

When Mrs. Tartaglia arrives on site, it is with everything she needs stacked in a large plastic laundry basket. The cats know her car, and sit patiently on a bank awaiting its arrival.

Meals are served in style. She has built little wooden ?tables? atop which she sets pretty plastic place mats that colour co-ordinate with the sectioned platters. Various coloured plastic bowls are stacked for pleasing effect as well as stability.

Atop a relatively high box sits the plastic biscuit dispensers and fresh water bowls. When the meal is done, Mrs. Tartaglia gathers up the dirty dishes and takes them home to wash. The cats also have regular laundry service.

Having purchased large, green (chosen to blend with the leafy environment) plastic storage containers, which are turned on their sides to provide shelter from rain and cold, Mrs. Tartaglia lines them with old bath mats and towels for comfort and extra warmth.

?After the rain, I take them home to wash the muddy paw marks off, leaving fresh ones in their place.?

In the warmer months, while ordinary mortals fight off armies of ants and cockroaches, these fortunate fur faces don?t have to lift a paw because their devoted caregiver regularly treats the entire feeding area with a special liquid deterrent that keeps the pesky critters at bay.

You might think that all of this ?room service? would be quite sufficient for the lucky little cat colony, but not in Mrs. Tartaglia?s book. She also believes her ?boys and girls? need some fun and TLC.

So, on dry days, she sprinkles catnip on the ground for them to roll in, which is as popular as the post-meal feline/canine/human interaction routine. Over time, Mrs. Tartaglia has patiently worked on the cats? confidence, and now some of them are so tame that when she spreads a coat on the ground, and sits on it with Shoebox on her lap, the cats snuggle up for a cuddle.

Far from aggravating them, Shoebox is very protective of the cats, and will chase other dogs away. If all of this love and attention seems a bit excessive to some, Mrs. Tartaglia makes no apologies for it.

?A couple of people have said to me with total disdain, ?Oh, you are one of people who encourage the wild cat population?, and my reply is that I am trying to at least help with the feral problem that humans have caused through dumping cats, which I find appalling.

?I do what I do because I am an animal lover, and would do the same for dogs. Also as an animal lover, I don?t like to see them suffer or go hungry. You just don?t throw out animals.

?If you don?t want them, take them to the SPCA. What that organisation does for animals is wonderful, as does BFAB. Their volunteers do a great job feeding many more of Bermuda?s feral cats than I do.?

Mrs. Tartaglia would like another wooden box constructed for the site, and is willing to supply the appropriate materials. If you can help ( 232-0909.