People don’t usually adopt stray cats. It’s often the other way around. People notice pathetic looking, or not so pathetic looking, stray cats on their porch or deck, and right away they want to give them food and water. Cats are not stupid creatures. Once you feed a cat, you will never get rid of that cat!
That is exactly how I was recently adopted by a couple of stray kitty cats. I noticed my pleasantly plump house cat looking intensely through the sliding glass door off my deck. I could tell she was looking at something in particular because of her tense body language. I decided to turn the light on outside so she could get a better look at whatever it was, as if a cat needs to see better in the dark! I walked out of the room, and as I walked back through and passed the door I glanced over. There stood a beautiful gray tabby cat staring intently back at me. It looked startled and wide-eyed. Then I noticed another cat that looked almost identical to the first cat It was checking out an old cat house my dad had built back when another stray cat decided to adopt me.
I put my coat on and went outside to remove the old rags I lined the cat house with many months before. My dad made the cat house several months prior when I happened to notice a sickly looking stray cat on the very same deck. I had just finished a deliciously filling dinner, when I saw the poor pathetic creature. I felt bad thinking how I had just eaten good food inside a warm home, and this poor hapless animal was literally starving to death out on my back deck. I had to come to the rescue.
I started feeding the kitty I decided to name “Boots.” I appropriately named her boots because a boot of white fur covered every paw. She soon blossomed into a healthy looking lovable kitty with a sleek coat and crystal green eyes. She was beautiful.
I decided to adopt boots. Actually she had adopted me. That cat wouldn’t have forgotten her way home. The back deck had a warm and cozy cat abode complete with cat delicacies and fresh water. Boots would sleep on the warm railing of the deck most of the day. At night I’m sure she was out chasing field mice and doing whatever else an outdoor cat does when the sun goes down.
Boots eventually became an indoor cat. She was very loving and affectionate. She even tried to kiss up to my pleasantly plump calico cat, Patch. That old girl didn’t want any new friends. Patch is the type of cat that is happiest when left alone. She has a real “cattitude,” but I love having her around.
My son adopted Boots to give as a gift to his live-in girlfriend. Boots is presently sharing a happy home with a chocolate lab named Butch. From what I understand, Boots and Butch are the best of friends. I really didn’t mind giving Boots a new home. I knew another stray cat would eventually come along and adopt me.
So, now there are new residents in my cat hotel out on the deck. I placed a couple of clean old towels inside and removed the old porcelain dish Boots once used when she was a hotel resident. I washed and dried the dish, and I filled it with some crunchy morsels of cat food. I noticed the old water bowl Boots once drank from, and I took it in as well and cleaned it with soap and water. I refilled it with warm water since I knew it would soon be covered with a layer of ice. It’s cold right now, and I’m sure the water will soon be frozen.
I’ll keep feeding and watering the cats, and as they become accustomed to my presence I’ll move in a little closer. Soon I’ll gain their trust, and they’ll allow me to pet them and provide them with much needed love and affection.
After the cats have worked their way into my heart, and I’ve fed my way into theirs, I’m sure they’ll adopt me just like Boots did. I’ll take the cats into my loving home, and they’ll never again have to sleep under cars or in cold cat hotels out on someone’s deck. They’ll never have to eat out of garbage cans and risk being poisoned or sickened by rotten food. The cats that adopted me will also never again have to worry about crossing busy streets with the possibility of being hit and dying a slow and painful death on the roadside. My cats will own me, and I’ll love them forever.
If you have a cat, please have your cat neutered or spayed. Don’t allow your cat to bring offspring into a world already full of unwanted animals. Not everyone who finds a stray cat is willing to feed them and care for them. The cost of spaying or neutering is well worth the price when considering how many cats are waiting in shelters for loving homes. They just want someone to adopt. They want a leg to brush up against and a warm lap to sit on when nights are cold.
If you’re looking to adopt a cat or kitten, go to your local animal welfare league or humane shelter. You are sure to find a kitty that’s waiting to adopt someone just like you. You’ll be saving a life. You’ll be offering a brand-new start and a second chance at life to an otherwise unfortunate kitty, that only wanted to be loved and cared for.
Reference:
- The Humane Society of the United States www.hsus.org/
