Fast
forward 10 years, and I am living in a condo with a small fenced yard.
This yard attracts cats of all kinds who like to stop by for a visit,
pee on my grill cover, chase squirrels, or just lay in the sun on the
deck. Once lovely August morning, a mother kitty and her six tiny
babies appeared on the deck, and that was the start of my kitty rescue
operation that would last for the next seven months. To make a long
story short, four of those kitties now live a happy country life in my
parents' backyard with my sweet mother as their caretaker.
Fast
forward again to February and Snowpacalypse '11. I notice that a small
gray cat has taken up residence in my backyard. He runs to hide when I
go outside, but he will drink and eat when I put food and water out for
him. Eventually, he lets me pat him, and we become buddies. He has
obviously been a pet to someone, and I name him Niles (all my kitties
are named after movie or TV show characters, of course!). He doesn't
seem to stray to far from my yard and spends most of his time sleeping
under the deck or sitting on the fence playing lookout. My condo
complex does not allow pets outside, so I am not surprised when I see
flyers posted and warnings written in our newsletter about letting cats
run loose and feeding them outside. I know that means I have to find
someplace for Niles to go, but I just don't have time to deal with it as
the last weeks of school are so busy and stressful. However, the
decision is made for me when I find an animal trap right outside my
fence one morning. I make a snap decision to bring Niles in the house
after work, and that's where the adventure begins.
Day
2: I come home from work (on a Saturday - ugh!) and clear out the
guest room so Niles can have more space and see out. He is so happy to
be inside! He is the sweetest little kitty, always wanting to be patted
and never growling, hissing, or scratching. I decide I want to make
him a permanent member of my family. His older sister still has no clue
he is in the house!
The rest of the week: I
start the kitty integration process. It does not go as well as hoped.
My Miss Prissy does not want a new baby brother, and she will chase him
away and act like she's going to attack him any time he approaches.
There is much hissing and growling, and the kitties are removed back to
their separate bedrooms.
I take Niles to the
vet to be checked out. It turns out he has a microchip. He escaped his
house in October (!!!), and his owners didn't really try to find him at
all. They turn him over to me, and he passes all his tests at the vet
with flying colors. I officially have a new cat! The cat integration
process is put on hold due to a Father's Day visit from Grammie and
Grampie (my parents). Niles makes fast friends with my mom and would
like to be friends with my dad, but he isn't interested. ;) My dad is
not a fan of cats.
Week 2: We have started the
integration process again, very slowly. So far, there has just been
hissing and growling but no chasing or attacking. I am still keeping
them in separate rooms most of the time and only letting them out for
supervised visitation in the evenings. I'm crossing my fingers that
older sissy will soften her heart just a little bit and share her space
with her new baby brother.
