Monday, January 26, 2009

Oh, no, a stray cat!

Yes, a calico. She showed up at my front door at 9 o'clock tonight, meowing to beat the band. We don't get stray cats here, and I am perplexed where she came from. She might belong to a neighbor and got loose, or might have just been dumped. She's a little skittish, but very friendly (about rubbed straight through my pants leg thanking me for the cat food, which she gulped down between swipes against my legs) and tried her darndest to get in the front door. She evidently knows houses, and vastly prefers them to the outdoors.

I was worried about leaving her running loose outside, and it's getting chilly tonight, so I put her in the garage with food and water bowls and a litter box (please, oh please, let her know about litter boxes!). In the morning I will canvass the neighborhood and see if she's local. If not, I have to decide what to do.

I know I can't keep her because my calico detests other cats and I really don't want another one. Ours is a handful. There is a no-kill rescue shelter in town run by an organization called CATS and I can call them if I can't find her owner. CATS stands for "Cats Are Totally Special" - OK, I admit I had a snicker over what lengths they went through to make their acronym spell CATS. Husband and I call it "Cats Are People Too".

Out in the garage, she is meowing so loudly I can here her all the way in the den. She surely has a mouth on her. I can't decide how old she is, partly because I'm used to looking at Molly, who is over 12 lb and definitely larger than the average cat. She might be full grown, but I doubt it. The thought crossed my mind that she might be about 6 months and just came in season for the first time, which would account for the big mouth. Oh, lordy, please not.

With the temperature dropping for the night, and rain predicted, I was incapable of just letting her meow out there, or tossing out some food for her. Now I have to figure out what to do. Sometimes a soft heart bites you on the butt.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hear ya! My soft heart had bitten me in the butt several times. But who could turn their back on a helpless animal is beyond my understanding. She is a beauty. Do you have a name picked out for her yet? LOL

Greenmare said...

oh I'm glad you have a soft heart! poor baby, all alone out there in the cold cold world. thank goodness she found a cat lover!

Kathryn said...

She found you, and you've done the right thing. Of course it bites on the bottom but we both know how much it would gnaw if you didn't do the right thing. Hope things work out happily for her. And especially for your poor husband. I have been thinking about his lovely photos for the past few days. Hope you can find an expert to attempt a forensic reconstruction. Kathrynxx

momtofatdogs said...

She sure is a cutie. sounds like she has bunches of personality too!
I have a full house....and 2 of the cats at work are pregnant....Sorry , i can't oblige.

Sam in Middle TN