Months? I've been seeing the same stray cats around my neighborhood for close to a decade. They got all types of battle scars and some are missing parts of their body but surviving these Chicago winters ain't easy
I've been at my place for about 5 years. I have a similar experience. There was a huge feral colony when I moved here and I knew them all. Most of them disappeared overnight 2 summers ago.
Of those that are left, I watch the females go thru pregnancies and then show up weeks later with their babies. The one I'm closest to I met as a kitten. My kids and I play with her, when she feels like being bothered. A lot of times, I see her sitting back and watching tomcats cats fight over whatever they are fighting about.
There is a tom who seems quiet and crazy to me...I call him Harold. Been seeing him around since he was a kitten too. Earlier this year, came home to find him just posted up on my porch, looking like death was imminent. Scared the hell out of me because he never gets that close to humans.
I knew he was messed up because he let me pick him up. Put him in a box and took him to a nearby vet. They gave him a shot of something, and I took him back and let him out. Within a week, he was back to his old self and back to his tomfoolery with the others on the street. Since then, sometimes, I'll open my front door to find him there, just posted up and watching us.
I really enjoy watching cats in their element. #Dogset can make all the points they want, but cats are just waaaay more interesting.