The Story of Cat

Ten years ago I dated a man who, after his divorce, moved in with his parents with his two young daughters. I think he needed the comfort of family and wanted his girls to have the positive female influence his mom could provide.

The family had a large yard that was inhabited by a multiplicity of feral cats. Most of them were white, scruffy-looking things. They had no interest in human company and would, in fact, scatter at the hint that a human was thinking about going into the yard. The B’s didn’t want the feral cats to starve, so they put a plate of kibble on the patio every evening—first come, first served.

 
One day, as I was sitting on the patio, I spied a tabby kitten with a sweet white bib and white kitten toes.

I figured it would be great to adopt this young cat. I imagined watching TV in the evenings with the grateful tabby curled on my lap, purring contentedly.

I brought a cardboard box over to the B’s, ready to be a pet owner. I figured that capturing the kitten would be as simple as scooping it up and putting it in the box. So I put the box on the patio, reached out to grab the kitten and YOW! I got a faceful of growl. I was terrified by this thing that was probably less than 1% of my body weight.

Papa B wasn’t about to be thwarted.  He cornered her and scooped her into the box.  The box came alive with fury but I carried it to my truck anyway.

The box bumped and lurched with anger as I drove the few short miles home.  I was grateful that I'd bought a bag of kitty litter so I could weigh it down.

When I got home, I set the box in my living room.  I knew I had to open it, but I was afraid of being savaged.  I got a broom and gently nudged the lid open.  POW!  The box exploded and a lightning bolt of tabby streaked around the living room, into the dining room, into the kitchen and UP onto a basket on the kitchen counter.  I approached warily as two golden eyes glared at me from the safety of the basket.

I decided to leave well enough alone.  I put out a dish of food, a dish of water and a cat box.  I wondered, "What have I gotten myself into?"  But I loved this little feline too much to let her go the way of her littermates--eaten by coyotes or run over by cars.

And so our adventure began.