Black cat revisited

Early in the summer a black cat was terrorizing our yard. It was always getting into fights with our cats when they were outside and a couple of them sustained minor injuries which we assumed were the result of those fights. We ran to their rescue whenever we heard the fights and in the process scared the black cat off. As a result it was frightened of us and kept its distance.

 There was no mystery why it kept coming. Tricia has always put out food for the stray she calls our "garden cat." The black cat was undoubtedly a stray also, even though it seemed to have a pink collar on its neck. Over time the fights decreased and we paid less attention to it. Summers here in August are not very hospitable and we don't spend much time outdoors during that time. As Fall started to come on though, we returned to the garden and started to notice her lurking in the distance, eyeing us warily. In particular, she liked to recline on a chaise lounge near the back of the property from where she could survey most of the yard.

Then a few days ago a strange thing happened. Tricia and I were outside talking to each other. We were surveying the changes a neighbour had made to her house and discussing it between ourselves when we heard a cat. We looked in the direction of the cry and saw the black cat watching us from about 50 feet away. Tricia called to her and she slowly walked straight toward us and began rubbing against our legs.

In that moment our relationship suddenly changed. Now every time we set foot outside the black cat is there to greet us. She's waiting when our cars pull in the driveway. Clearly she was once someone's pet. She will even let us pick her up and pet her.

This is actually a more perplexing situation than when she was an interloper that we tolerated at the edges of the garden. She is trying to apply for a position that doesn't exist. We already have three cats officially in the household and they don't think we have room for another. We are trying to find another home for her, but will keep her safe through Halloween first.

 

Bill and Tricia Hopkins (Dallas, Texas)

 

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