Stray Thoughts

The spring before last my sister trapped a litter of four nearly newborn feral kittens. Cats in general are just domesticated enough to have trouble making it in the wild and just wild enough to cause trouble in one’s domicile but these particular tiny ferals were totally wild. We took the four to First Coast No More Homeless Pets for a group discount on shots, spay and neutering, and there discovered that two were male and the other two female. I kept the females in hopes of taming them and the males were released back into the neighborhood in which they were born. It has been a little over two years and Stubby and Tubby (not the girliest cat names, but perfect for a pair of manx kittens) are still not the friendliest of felines. The males didn’t fare as well. They quickly became part of the food chain in the wild. Meanwhile Stub and Tub entertained each other and did solitary cat things most of the time when they weren't in hiding, intimidating the family dogs, or scratching up furniture their first year. For the most part they were only pettable while occupied at meal time and that’s where the taming began. Today Stubby decided it was time to sit in my lap as I began to work on my blog. In all fairness she has darted on and off my lap in the past to snatch a yarn ball while I crochet. She finds yarn irresistible but this time she snuggled in for the duration and some ear scratching. This is the day I am finally convinced that she has decided it is time to be a regular house cat. Here is the part where I’ll tell you that I am not yet nor will I ever be a ‘crazy old cat lady’ but I will admit that I am a collector of strays, namely stray thoughts, things, critters, kids, and even grown people. I have found that all require patience and time for taming but there is the satisfaction of discovering a friend that changes and enriches your life as you change and enrich theirs. When all is said and done there is that.