Two exit my life, two enter

As if the powers that be couldn’t allow me to enjoy a moment of peace after my tearful farewell to Wilbur and Charlotte*, I got two new “assignments” right away. The first came in the form of a group email to all the cat rescuers on the coast: a beautiful black female kitty had been taken to the Peninsula Humane Society from the coast. Believing she was feral and unadoptable, they prepared to euthanize her when someone rescued her. The APB asked for someone to put her up for a little while and assess her. I raised my hand. The name she’d been given by her rescuer, interestingly enough, was Charlotte.

*Charlotte the kitten and Wilbur, her brother, after a rocky few days when they mostly hid, are starting to embrace their new family. Two nights ago, they climbed in bed with Janine’s little girl, and all fell asleep together. Yay!!

Anyway, it took me all of two days to realize Charlotte II was not feral – just terrified. When I used my fleece-covered backscratcher to caress her, she shrunk away at first, then slowly rolled her head to accept my affections, and relaxed. She’s now been in my garage for a week, and she lets me hold her, loves to be petted, and is generally going stir-crazy, as any of my indoor kitties would if stuck in a cage. Also, although she is very thin, her medium-long fur is gorgeous and silky, her eyes bright, her health perfect. This is someone’s housecat, people!!

Charlotte’s story is complicated by the fact that she was microchipped (shouldn’t that have been PHS’s first clue?) but the chip information was wrong. (They called a woman to say they’d found her lost pet, and she apparently replied that no, my cat is right here.) OY. I consulted with Suzan, my pet communicator, and she said she sensed a great bewilderment on Charlotte’s part. That she had been allowed to roam freely by her family, but came home one day and the house was locked, and they were gone. There’s no way to know for sure, but what Suzan said resonated deeply with me. I believe that Charlotte is a hard-luck case, who has never had a real heart connection with a human, and understandably fears the worst. I’ll keep her for a while longer, while we look to see if in fact she does have a family looking for her. (Her rescuer will put up flyers in the area in which she was trapped.) It really does take a village.

The same day that Charlotte came to me, a new kitty emerged from the bushes near where I put out food for Smokey the raccoon. An obvious BOY who has not been fixed, he meowed loudly (my first clue that he is also not feral) rolled in the dirt to get my attention, and ate so desperately I thought he would hyperventilate. And – proof poz that he was someone’s pet – he is sporting a tattered collar: white leather, with the remnants of glitter or some other fancy coloring. Chokes me up to think of some little girl who thought that was a good choice for a boy kitty, and loved him dearly only to have him slip out the door or window and wander away. (That’s a less distressing fantasy than a bankrupt family abandoning him, as perhaps happened with Charlotte.)

I’ve been calling him Rufus this first week, as I bring him his food. At first he loved the food more than anything; now, he pauses in his feasting to rub against my legs, and purrs when I pet him. How did you end up here, sweet boy?

Because his eyes are a beautiful turquoise blue, he might have a bit of Siamese in him (or be so malnourished that his eyes are impacted – yes this happens) and he is blond with bits of tabby-brown. Very interesting-looking, pretty little guy. I’ve been putting the trap by him the last two days, to get him used to it, but he’s so friendly I might be able to spare him the trauma and violence of the trap by putting his food inside a carrier and closing the door. It has to be done, but when I do… then I’ll have TWO CATS who need homes!! And Litquake is starting in two weeks, and my long-awaited vacation, in three. It’s anxiety-inducing, but I have to trust that it will be okay – that I’ll get help when I need it.

St. Francis, happy to do your work, but please give me a hand in it!