Well, I have bonded with a stray cat, it all started in the beginning of my first relationship, living with a boyfriend for the first time. We started to feed her because she looked really skinny and she was so sweet and grateful. I have never encountered a stray cat that made me feel so calm to be in their presence. She looked to us to be her company, we would pet her, sit on the porch, and we had finally gotten her to the point where we could get her to sit on our lap. It was as if she had never sat on a lap and it just made me sad.
It sounds strange, but when my boyfriend and I would fight, I would turn to her for support, just to acknowledge me. I had a pregnancy scare and she was there as I sat outside wondering what I would do. A few weeks later, after taking some test and coming up negative, I found out that I was just going through stress and my schedule was off.
One day, she walked up to me and I thought I had overfed her, she went from super skinny to her looking at me with her eyes bugged out not knowing what had happened to her. For awhile we had thought we had overfed her, but finally realized, she was pregnant, from another stray.
I felt really empathetic towards her since I had just gone through my own scare, and here she was a cat with no home, and 4 kittens she had to feed. The more I got to know her, the more she felt like family. She considered us family too. When she had her kittens, we were cautious thinking that maybe she abandoned them. I was told strays sometimes do that if they don't have that instinct. She did have the instinct 10 fold, she actually took us to see her babies after it was safe.
I found out from our down stairs neighbor, her history, and her mother's history, our neighbor helped raise her sister. Here our neighbor helped raise her and her baby kittens. I have to say its the most amazing thing living in an apartment complex where the management allows the residents to take care of the strays. It becomes a total family community, a commune for animals!
Its hard to be attached to them and watch them go, there is 1 kitten left, which is where this blog is leading me to this topic. This mother cat is so close with her kittens that she isn't the same anymore, she won't let me pet her. She came back from doing her rounds and 3 of her kittens got new homes. The last one left, Spitfire, the craziest on of them all, he disappeared for a few days, but turned back up, and when he did, we were planning on taking the mother in. We thought since she had been such a good mother and because she had been so good to us, we could give her a home. She doesn't stay in here very long though. When she comes to our apartment to get away for awhile, she will sleep for an hour and stand by the door to wait to be let out.
I brought both her kitten Spitfire and her in the other night and I started crying when I had to let them out. I see these cats as more human than an animal. My boyfriend said we can only take one, because he has his own, who is really really sweet too and very outgoing and adapts well to other cats.
I don't think she will be the same without her kitten, but I don't like the thought of breaking them apart. Maybe they should just be meant to live on their own outside, they are taken care of and fed, I just fear coyotes, traffic and mean people.
As I started blogging, I decided to take a break from homework and check on Spitfire, I bought some canned kitty food at trader joes and started to feed him. I thought he would like a change of scenery so I brought him up to the apartment. I couldn't find his mother so I figured I would let him out in a little bit. 20 minutes into my searching maternal, humanlike cats, I heard her meow, sitting in our porch looking for her baby. I opened up the door with a can of canned food in hand. Now she is playing with the table cloth, and playing with her baby and attempting to play with our cat Repeat.
I keep saying her and she, because she has been named "Otro" by my boyfriend meaning other cat. The significance is, my boyfriend had 2 cats when he moved out here, Pete and Repeat. Pete was a black cat and Repeat is an orange cat, they were best buds. When they moved to Arizona, they had to go from indoor cats to outdoor. Pete went on a venture and didn't come back, Repeat is still with us today.
So Otro reminds him of Pete. If I had a camera that worked, I could have some interesting pictures of a stray cat looking inside wanting some water and cool air and a house cat who just wants to go outside and roll in the grass. Complete opposite wants.
I watch as the cats play together, coming from all backgrounds. I found this article when I looked up the personality of a stray cat, a mother cat. She isn't violent, she is just a little spooked losing 3 kittens. I figured it would help having her playing with her little one, and she plays with him like a human would with their 3 year old.
Maybe she would be lonely without Spitfire, maybe they like their freedom. Having 3 cats in an apartment all cooped up could be a nightmare. If I had the money, I would have a place where she could raise her son though.
Having lost my Mom when I was 13, it just brings tears to my eyes seeing a Mother cat not want to lose her kitten. Society happens to us all the time where we get split up with ones that we love, its a shame when you have families that appreciate each other and surround each other with love and have to go through losing each other.
Its going to be 12 years labor day weekend since my Mother passed away, in a truck train accident. Crappiest day of my life. So hey if I want to spend my friday night in the company of a mother cat and her kitten and another kitty who cuddles with me in the morning, I will take what I can get, and its not so bad. Ironically my favorite story my Mom used to read to me was The Three Little Kittens. I wrapped up the book my Mom read to me and gave it to her for Christmas, when I was in the hospital for a seizure, on Christmas Eve. I was 11 when it happened. Wasn't a real fun childhood, and now I am struggling to be an adult. Everything changes so fast!
A story like this just makes me smile. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1784806.ece
The fact that its in the Middle East, who cares, if there is anyone that really does recognize what they have, its the ones that have to go through so much loss everyday. We as humans are so spoiled, and we take so much for granted.
I could go off in another tangent, but I am going to save it for tomorrow.
I have to now let Otro and Spitfire out and its going to make me sad. If all 3 kitties curled up with each other they can stay the night, I don't know how its going to go though. We'll see. Thanks for listening my story about Otro.
I am glad i have taken the time to get to know her, even if I can't keep her as an indoor cat.
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That's very sweet. I understand how you feel about them though. I have a cat, and he is my baby! He is very shy, and skittish when others are around..he even looks both ways before he crosses a street. Once, he even looked both ways before crossing a driveway!
Sometimes he follows me to the busstop and stands there with me as I wait for my school bus. I get very maternal with him, and even though I know there is NO way he'll get into an accident with a car (he runs as soon as he hears it), but I worry about him the whole way to school.
His mother lives with us, too. She was our first cat. I have no idea what you mean about them being close though!! She's a snotty mother, haha, she fights with him over food, and they play fight (alhough I think she has other motives). She is, however, very close with my mother.
We even look alike, my mother, and the mother cat are similar in both looks and personalities. My cat, and I, both look a litle alike, although I am not nearly as shy!
Sorry to hear about your mom, although I'm sure that isn't anything new, and I don't know how you feel, but I can imagine. Good luck with your cats, although I am sure you have resolved the problem by now!