HOME AT LAST!
Here he is, from wretched street stray to beloved house cat. All in one night. That was easy. For those of you who don't know, this striped stray kitty has been hanging around our house for probably about six months now. We were not able to catch him in our humane trap and I was forced to watch him slowly starve to death right before my eyes. The neighbor's kids were also very worried, and they were becoming attached to him.
Well after several weeks of worrying and frustration, we decided to give up on the trap and try to get him eating at our porch on a regular schedule. He was becoming emaciated and coming around less and less. I only saw him once every three or four days.
But last night he appeared on the front porch, and I tried a different strategy: I put some tuna fish on a plate and simply opened the downstairs door. Wouldn't you know it, he walked right in. That doesn't work with most strays. But of course he panicked big time when I shut the door behind him, and I have no idea how I managed to get him into his private room. But I did and we managed to move some furniture in there to make him comfortable.
By the way, yes the floor looks dirty but it's just cedar litter. Cats manage to spread it everywhere, and it's easy to vacuum up. But there's no way on earth I'm going to subject him to the vacuum right now. The room is otherwise very clean. He really likes his catnip mouse. The next huge hurdle is getting him to the vet.
Right now I'm preparing for the worst; he's so thin there's a chance he may be in kidney failure. It wouldn't be surprising; he's been getting food anywhere he can find it, and that can put him at risk for poison ingestion. But we'll just have to wait and see. His appetite has been great, though. If he's healthy, the next giant hurdle will be finding him a home. And of course the minor hurdle, giving him a name.
