The Beginning

OK, first some background... let's go back in time. It seems our neighborhood has always been a dumping ground for unwanted kittys. We have had various feral cats in our backyard for years. You can't get near any of them and we have always had a policy of "don't feed the stray cats". My husband and I are NOT cat people... or I should say we weren't cat people. We have always been dog people. We had a wonderful dog for 15 years and when she passed away, we just could not bring ourselves to get another. That was about 10 years ago. Since then we have gotten our "dog love" fix through others by visiting with friends that have dogs, or visiting with other peoples dogs at the beach, in parks, etc.

Now... back to the cat part of this story. We have tolerated the cats that have called our property home, but have not been happy about it until about 2 months ago. We had noticed this little calico cat that was always in our front yard when we got home. If we talked to her, she would run (yes... these dog people started talking to a cat). One day, we noticed... it was not just ONE cat... it was now 4 cats!!!!! One large calico and 3 kittens!!!! Now we have gone through this phase before with other ferrile cats having kittens that appear, and then slowly and disappear. We knew that the slow dissappearing was usually due to local dogs... or later we found out we had a coyote!! This was NOT a happy thought, but what could we do?

Now this little Calio was different. When we saw her kittens, we were concerned, but again, she would not let us near her. Over a week, they were gone. We felt awful for her... she was starting to tug at our heartstrings. Then, one day, out of the blue, Bruce (my husband) says "Maybe we should feed her". FEED HER!!! THERE WAS A LAW!!!! DON'T FEED THE STRAY CATS!!!!! What could he possibly mean? Although... she did look a little hungry... maybe just a little snack... WAIT!!!! Did I say that? Hmmmmmmmmmmm, ok so I called my favorite vet tech (my little sister) and got the scoop. Feed her on OUR schedule, not hers and don't feed her too much. OK, we can do this. So we got some cat food and put out a paper dish, and she ate. Still wouldn't come near us, but devoured the food when we were out of the way.

And so it went for about a month... every morning we'd put out the food, every evening, it was gone when we came home. Then... as we were getting in the car one morning to go to work, there she was! She was eating BEFORE we left. Could it be she was starting to warm up to us? Or... were we beginning to be pulled into her spell? It soon got to the point that when she heard us leaving in the morning, she would come and sit just out of reach waiting for her food. We would talk to her, she would talk back, but DON'T TOUCH ME was always in her eyes.

Then... one day, about 2 weeks ago, we came home and I saw her sitting about 15 feet away from me. I said "Oh, come on Callie, you should trust us by now!" and she "meow" and came walking over! I touched the cat and the cat was happy!!! Still a little skittish, but she would allow human touch!

Now Bruce was a little worried about how cold it was. Does she need some shelter? Should be get her a little bed? An outside bed I said... NO CATS IN THE HOUSE!!!!! (oh my, how long will this rule stand). And so, he went and not only got her a house, he got her a catnip toy also! Have to have a happy cat! So, now there is a small plush "house" that I don't think she ever tried out and a small catnip toy which she brings each morning and leaves on the door step. Not sure if she is telling us "Here, let me share a little cat happy with you" or "hey... the happy in this is weak.. refill please".

Now we know that once you have a nice new house, you'll need a nice new dish to have dinner in. So... there is now a pretty metal dish for her food also. This cat is really having an easy time getting us trained! She is also no longer afraid of us. Each day we come home to a kitty that HAS to be petted before we go inside. Remember... NO CATS IN THE HOUSE!!! So, what is the next thing Bruce tries???? He opens the door and says... "Hey Callie, want to come inside?" And she takes a step in... and immediately goes back out. Thank goodness because we know that cats can't come in the house... can they?

So... you're now pretty much caught up with the past kitty mews. Now I'll tell you a few highlights from the past week or two.