We, the allergic mama and papa, the severely allergic although she screams if you suggest it four year old - we have a cat. We thought this would never be, could never be, and never became too attached to all the sweet kitties who crossed our path. Somehow, we were waiting for Kitty-Kitty, (Yes, the kids named her.) and Kitty-Kitty was waiting for us.
She was waiting at a rest-stop on I-95. Yes, this beautiful cat was there. She looked healthy, young and thin. She was friendly, cautious and hungry. We fed her. Our dog travels with us on vacation, and she liked dog food. We all felt an attachment. She got in the van easily enough. I did not want her left at the rest stop. We decided to take her with us to the family farm in PA.
We stopped at a WalMart on the way and bought a cat carrier. Moe rides on his bed, but he does not bound between seats and children's laps when children are supposed to be asleep. She did not like the carrier. She cried a bit. She slept. We let her out at the farm. She left through a window for the night. She came back. We took pictures. We put a notice on Richmond's Craig's List in case she escaped from someones car. No response.
Surprise! We have a new cat for the farm. Right? Wrong. The cat was not allowed to stay. We brought her back to Norfolk thinking, "We'll find a good home for her here." We did just that. The deal was this: She had to work as an outside kitty in the city, get along with Moe and not scratch kids in order for her to stay with us. She did!
She stays in our yard. She keeps all other cats out of our yard and from wandering down the street. She comes to the door to be fed. We found a pink lined cat bed and small bowl that someone was throwing out. They are in the loft of the playhouse. She hissed at Moe at first, but now they sniff. She lets Anna pet her. She's caught three rats, two squirrels and three birds. (I don't like the bird part, but am grateful for fewer rats in our house and not so many squirrels eating our garden and being shot [with a BB gun] by our neighbor. Also, she hunts for food, not recreation.) She does not even use the sandbox as a litter box if we forget to put the lid on. She is the perfect cat for us.
I did not see her all day yesterday. I did not see her this morning. I was worried. Maybe someone picked her up. Maybe someone else was keeping her, despite her pretty piano collar. I had the strong feeling last night that she was trapped. I looked in the garage. I called for her. I called Jesse at work. He suggested the van. There she was, asleep on Leah's booster. She must have jumped in when we left the door open Tuesday evening. She was fine. She ate, drank, used the yard and nuzzled Anna's feet. Surprisingly, I could not find a mess or scratch in the van. Now that's a perfect cat.
I'm glad we found each other.
4 comments:
sometimes pets that find you are the ones you get the most attached too =)
congratulations on your addition!
Awww! I'm so glad this cat found a good home! Doesn't he/she look so much like Zeus? (And, er, if we didn't know better we might not know which sex Zeus was too. He was neutered at a very young age and certain parts of his body never had a chance to grow...)
thanks! He/she found us in the summer and just keeps growing on us. =)
Maya, yes! and Zeus' style too, though not quite as playful. I suspect something similar to young neutering was done to our feline.
I'm glad to hear too that Kitty Kitty was not really lost :-). Definitely the *perfect* cat for you guys-- and I'm sure he/she is MUCH happier outside with you, than here at the farm.
I'm actually enjoying life for the first time in 36 years *without* a cat :-).... although, yes, the little rodents are having a field day :-/ (though at 18 1/2 , Moppet wasn't catching too many mice lately!)
Love seeing all your heart-warming blog postings, Patricia! Neat to hear about National Blog Posting Month :-). You'll meet your goal-- and share lots of wonderful stories!
Lots of love,
Susan (mom-in-law :-) )
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