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A cat adopted me. |
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Being kind to the animals is part of the culture in this area of the country. There are always a few feral cats hanging around the apartment complex where I live. Up the bike trail about 10 minutes is feline alley where there are usually a dozen or so. They are taken care of with food and plastic crate shelters. Soon after I moved here I started leaving water out. It's hot. A couple cats would have a drink during the day and a possum would drain the bowl at night. Last summer a pregnant cat starting sleeping on the lawn chair on my patio. I bought food for her and the couple who lived upstairs put a box out for her to sleep in. Most are happy to be fed but not much on human contact. Amazing to me was that the cats and the ducks get along. More than once I've seen ducks and ducklings hanging with the feral cats in feline alley. I've never been a 'cat person' but now I have a new guest that I'm increasingly fond of. I'm sure that Goose, the cat that has started to share my apartment sometimes, is more likely an abandoned house cat than feral. After 4 years and maybe a dozen or two cats, she is the only one that seeks attention. After a few days being fed on the patio while I sat nearby, she jumped on my lap. That was last week and we've been friends since. I started letting her stay inside in the afternoon and a few times overnight. Goose has found her spots under the bed and on the couch and is absolutely not in a hurry to leave. She slept lightly the first couple times inside then a few days ago she came in, ate and was out like a light for hours. I'm glad to see her comfortable. I call her Goose because once when I was feeding her outside one of the local ducks came by with her ducklings. I was throwing bread for the ducks while Goose the cat was eating from the bowl. It reminded me of a grade school game called, you guessed it, 'Duck, Duck, Goose', hence Goose the cat. I'm not sure she understands as she likely came from an Hispanic home and I don't speak Spanish cat. The trouble is I live in an apartment complex where pets are not allowed but then, neither is feeding the ducks.  I have to decide what to do. Goose has made herself at home and I like her around. The trouble is they'll charge me a penalty and I'll have to get rid of her if I'm caught. Since they come in and spray for bugs once a month, it's likely Goose will be discovered sooner or later. If anyone reading this has advice or thoughts please pass them along. I'm thinking of putting an ad on Craigslist for a good home. |
| Yesterday in the late morning Goose came inside. She ate and slept and cleaned herself all day and didn't bother to come out to say hi. Just ate then back to her spot under the bed next to a carpet runner that needs to be cleaned. Late in the evening I looked in on her again. She immediately came out, loud purrs and nuzzling against my hand. Apparently she's not mad at me anymore. A couple mornings ago I put her out early when she didn't really want to go. As I shut the door she kept her back to me. She wasn't happy with that. Goose's coat is looking better. I started feeding her canned food along with the dry as she needs to gain some weight. She's a pretty cat, all grey with a white spot on her chest. When I open the canned food Goose starts talking, loudly. I can't be sure if she's saying, "Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!" or "Faster! Faster! Faster!". Late in the evening, after being inside all day, I told her I thought she needed to go out. Two big meals and snacks... can't have messes in the house! She seemed to understand and after standing on the threshold for a few minutes, she moseyed out. We are starting to communicate even though I don't speak Spanish cat. A few hours later I woke up and checked. There she was waiting at the door in the middle of the night. She followed me into the bedroom and after some nuzzling went back to her spot under the bed. This morning she was sleeping at my feet. When I stir she starts walking around my head, purring and pushing her head into my hand, looking for a little attention. Nice way to wake up. Still don't know what I'm going to do long term. It would be best if I could find a good home, maybe with kids. |
| The best solution is to find Goose a good long term home. I know there is one but I think finding it is going to be more difficult than I thought. Last night a put an ad on Craigslist. If you're not familiar with it, Craigslist is an online free ad site that's been around for a long time. I've used it in the past for furniture and computers and had good results. The first ad posted said, "Free to good home" under the pet classification. It was quickly banned for violating Craigslist's terms. The objection is that free pets can be taken by brokers who sell them for research or other nefarious uses. If you use the term 're-home' and ask a nominal fee then it's OK. I did that and it was accepted. No interest yet. Yesterday Goose spent the afternoon and evening indoors with me. I thought it best to start separating ourselves and wanted her to stay out for the night. I fixed a bowl and put it outside. She just stood at the threshold, looked around and walked back in. "I think I'll just stay inside, thanks." I didn't like doing it but I picked her up, went outside and closed the door. A feral cat that has been around lately came by, they don't fight but aren't friendly either. Twice now I've seen them get face to face, check each other out for a few seconds then other cat hisses. Goose doesn't react and the feral cat backs off - some kind of conversation but I don't speak Spanish cat. Maybe there's a Babbel for that. Of course the other cat wanted Goose's food so I stayed out, love the warm nights, and Goose ate in peace. Goose never finishes a bowl so I'm sure the feral cat ate later. Goose stayed out all night. This morning she was at the door, came in while I fixed her bowl and ran to the door as carried it out. Goose was perfectly happy to go back outside. If she's happy with this arrangement we can keep it up as long as it lasts. My fear is that one of these times Goose won't be there and I'll never know what happened. |
| I kept to the 'outside only' discipline yesterday. Goose was in a couple times but followed her food out the door. Late last night she slept on the chair on the patio for at least a few hours. I put some food in her bowl, she jumped off the chair, circled the apartment and went back out. I haven't seen her yet today. Hopefully she'll be back around dusk. No response from the ad. |
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