Cat colony? Yeah right, I always see a bunch of cats walking around together. More than likely, the cats spotted this kid lying in the gutter and decided to eat him.
We had a cat that lived to be 19 - and was very protective of the children...to the point of attacking me when I was scolding and disciplining one of the kids. This happened several times and always under the same circumstances.
Where I live there are 3 to 4 cats (I think they’re feral)who pal around at night all the time. I’ve tried to get closer to them to determine their dispostion, but they run away..together.
Cats do hang out in pairs and groups and do have a social order. I’ve seen it not only among our multiple cats but outside of our house, where the fixed feral mother of two of our indoor cats seems to attract a small fan club from time to time (she’s fixed, so that’s not why they’re hanging out with her). I’ve also seen my cats care for each other. It’s not the same as with humans and dogs, not as strong or overt, but it’s there.
Cats often groom eachother. I have 2 that will groom eachother. Mother cats constantly groom their kittens. They spend much of the day grooming themselves. Cats have a need..desire to be clean. Obvioulsly this kid was filthy.