Wintry Welcoming

Well, the inevitable happened--the patio cat has moved in. As I blog, she is snoozing under a bed not ten feet from me.

The night before last, the kitty (hereafter referred to as Gracie)showed up for her dinner well before the customary time. It was bitter cold and exceptionally windy and she was anxious to get inside. Some time ago, I had fashioned a covered box lined with warm stuff for her but she wouldn't go in, maybe because she felt trapped. She'd only sit on top of the box. After she wolfed down her food, no matter where she went she couldn't get away from the wind. She sat at the patio door looking helpless.

Now, I have to tell you I have a housemate named Sue. Sue is a soft-hearted gal who comes from a family of catlovers (her parents out on a farm have 20-plus cats most of whom hang out in the house. In fact, one of our cats is a kitten from their clan.)
Therefore, it was inevitable.

Sue went to the door and unceremoniously picked up Gracie and brought her in. Just like that. It was very tense at first. Tweedy, our Queen cat, really "has her nose out of joint". She sits on her perch on top of the cat tower and glares at the interloper. The two male cats are more curious than threatened.

Gracie hid under the bed the first night and all through the next day. She finally came out last evening. And then the little girl unleashed the love! She went back and forth between Sue and I purring her head off and luxuriating in the warmth of her new home. Later, the little darling was playing with the catnip toys and checking out the place. She is quite diplomatic about avoiding the other cats, and since none of them are lap kitties, this might be Gracie's niche.

We were able to cut a lot of the cockle burrs out of her coat, but she still needs a lot of grooming. Her poor tail is almost bald. She had an occasional cough which worries me but Sunny (the cat we got from the farm) has that too.

I know that we might be courting disaster, but for now, Ms. Sparrow is quite OK with having four cats. If I ever get the camera to work, I'll be posting pictures.

"Are we really sure the purring is coming from the kitty and not from our very own hearts?" Emme Woodhill-Bache