Covid Kitty

I have been transferring my Cat stories to vocal since I joined a few weeks ago.

The stories are of cats that have owned me, ( you do not own a cat, they choose and own you, people who live with cats will agree with this), and others I know. Some are funny, some tragic, and some like this remind you that sometimes good comes from bad.

Here in the UK we went into Lockdown last March, travel was severely restricted, Shops closed apart from essentials, and people were acting strange. There were stories of people giving away pets, of cats being thrown out because of scare stories that they may carry Covid, and of pets left in empty houses when their owners were taken to hospital.

We do not know where our visitor came from, we had never seen her before. But one day there she was. This small, timid, obviously underfed, and in trouble little cat. She looked to be a juvenile just out of kittenhood cat, and obviously had nowhere else to go as she was in a bit of a state. She was either a wild-born or abandoned cat. Whatever, we had to try making sure she at least had a regular feed.

Now we have 4 cats. Somehow. We never planned to. Originally the daughters talked us into adopting two from a local rescue center when we went looking for a dog for my wife. We ended up with two brothers, who will be in another story. Later 3 kittens arrived, yet another story.

One of the brothers died a year or so ago, he was never a well cat, but lived his life to the full, as much as we could give him. His brother mopped around but the other three cats helped him.

One down, 4 to go. Then the wife may get her Dog. We thought. ( not for a long time we hoped).

Anyway, this small. Brownish, timid cat started to wait outside, watching our cats get fed ( we were feeding them outside as they seldom come into the house in summer preferring to stalk the garden and the neighbors' gardens). Once the other cats had left she came up to the dish and polished of whatever was left.

We felt so sorry for her we decided to try to feed her, and encourage her to come in. It took months of patient work. But eventually, she ate from our hands and accepted the petting. She even came to tolerate then like the brush we eventually managed to get to her coat. We were worried for her as she had something wrong with her mouth, and the fur was a bit matted around her haunches. There was little to her body, a fact we noticed after one rain shower when she was spotted sitting under a garden chair. There was nothing to her. We had to do something.

So, we tricked her into a cat carry bag, by putting treats in. then closing the bag when she was occupied. We had arranged a vet's appointment, something that was not that easy to do during the Covid lockdown, but when we explained the facts the local vet agreed that when we caught her, whenever we did, we could take her for examination and a chip check.

Tuppence, as we came to name her, is a lovely, loving, mischievous, 6- 10-year-old fully grown Cat, we were informed. With two of her fang teeth missing, either from defending herself or accident. So she sits, looking at you, trying to be regal, with her tongue sticking out most of the time. Kind of spoiling the regal look she is going for.

From a timid, scared, matted, refugee. She is now a loving, friendly cat who loves wrapping herself around your neck and purring in your ear. She does not play much, we think she never has, having had to defend herself and survive alone for so long. The fact that she is so good as in the house, and gets on with the other cats so well ( despite the occasional hissing match that is normal cat behavior in groups as they establish who is boss for that week.

Are we regretting having another cat? in some ways, the food bill has grown. In some ways no.

No one who has been adopted by a stray cat can regret the time they give you. Unlike a dog, they only go to those they want to. And when they do, they do so for reasons of their own.

But there is something special when a stray, timid creature decides that you are worth knowing.

Just wish they would leave things on the shelf though, what is it with cats that everything has to be pushed off shelves? And clean washing! They WILL NOT be told that it is not theirs to lie on!