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Encounter at Night
Tonight is garbage night. So I changed the kitty litter and put the old bag outside the porch door. Then I went through the house collecting all the rest of the trash bags, and headed out back to dump them in the garbage cans.
But someone unexpected was waiting for me, right outside the porch door.
It was the black & white kitten, of course. He seemed desperate to get into the house. I couldn't let him do that, but I ran back into the house and got a bowl of dry cat food. He started eating, but didn't seem famished. On the other hand, it seemed pretty likely that he wasn't currently living in a house; it was after 9PM, and he was too young to be outside that late.
While he was eating I went back to the house and grabbed the trash bags.
He wanted to play. He followed me as I took the bags to the cans, and as I took each can to the sidewalk in front of the house. He followed me as I put out the recycling bins. He really seemed lonely.
Quick explanation: if I let him into the house, we'd have a battle royale between Baby, Sarah, and the new cat. If I let him into the porch, he'd be stuck there; it's glassed-in and sealed tight. I didn't have any way to set up a litter box, and in any case that would be tantamount to adoption. It wouldn't be fair to Teri to adopt a cat without her agreement, and it's not like we have the money to feed three cats, anyway.
But it's a cold night; 43 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. I didn't think it would go below freezing (or not much), and it wouldn't be fatal to the kitten...but I didn't like the thought of him stuck out there alone.
So I did something that may have been kind of stupid. I slid open the door of our shed just wide enough for the cat, made sure he was watching me, and put the bowl of cat food inside the shed. He stuck his head in several times, so I knew he had figured it out.
I went back to the house. Just before I turned off the lights I peeked outside. The kitten was running back to our porch door.
I hope he remembers to go back to the shed tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if I can find an old towel or something for him to sleep on.
But someone unexpected was waiting for me, right outside the porch door.
It was the black & white kitten, of course. He seemed desperate to get into the house. I couldn't let him do that, but I ran back into the house and got a bowl of dry cat food. He started eating, but didn't seem famished. On the other hand, it seemed pretty likely that he wasn't currently living in a house; it was after 9PM, and he was too young to be outside that late.
While he was eating I went back to the house and grabbed the trash bags.
He wanted to play. He followed me as I took the bags to the cans, and as I took each can to the sidewalk in front of the house. He followed me as I put out the recycling bins. He really seemed lonely.
Quick explanation: if I let him into the house, we'd have a battle royale between Baby, Sarah, and the new cat. If I let him into the porch, he'd be stuck there; it's glassed-in and sealed tight. I didn't have any way to set up a litter box, and in any case that would be tantamount to adoption. It wouldn't be fair to Teri to adopt a cat without her agreement, and it's not like we have the money to feed three cats, anyway.
But it's a cold night; 43 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. I didn't think it would go below freezing (or not much), and it wouldn't be fatal to the kitten...but I didn't like the thought of him stuck out there alone.
So I did something that may have been kind of stupid. I slid open the door of our shed just wide enough for the cat, made sure he was watching me, and put the bowl of cat food inside the shed. He stuck his head in several times, so I knew he had figured it out.
I went back to the house. Just before I turned off the lights I peeked outside. The kitten was running back to our porch door.
I hope he remembers to go back to the shed tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if I can find an old towel or something for him to sleep on.