Sparrow seeks warm home for cold cat

I've mentioned before that I've been feeding a feral cat for several months. It first appeared when I was putting out food for the opossums back in November. It wouldn't come close enough that I could even tell what it looked like.

As the temperatures fell--sometimes to more than 20 below--the kitty found it could always count on me for a hot meal. Gradually, the small, long-haired black and brown cat with big golden eyes would come and sit just outside the patio door in the cold to watch as I hurried to fix a dish of food.

The kitty has become increasingly friendly recently. This may be because the temperatures have gone up above freezing. Last night, after eating its food, it hung around. I opened the door and put my hand out to pet it. As I did, I could feel all the cockle burrs imbedded in its fur. The tail is almost naked from all the cockle burrs being pulled out. I reached down to feel its tiny paws and I discovered the kitty is declawed! I also got the impression that she's a female, not a tomcat as I assumed.

Since she is declawed, she is almost certainly spayed. From the way she reveled in being petted, she is most certainly socialized and not feral. This little girl needs to come in out of the cold and find a home!

My three cats have made it quite clear that they will not allow this stranger into their domain. So, I have to find a kind way to get the kitty from my patio to a safe place where it can be groomed and checked out by a vet. After the hellish winter she has survived so far, she deserves to have a good home and be pampered for the rest of her life.

I'm talking to several neighbors about taking her. One way or another, she's going to get out of the cold as soon as possible.