Our furry family seems to have increased by one, if an unexpected new arrival has anything to do with it. Several months ago, normally placid Martha was relaxing by the living room window on the back of the couch. Suddenly she shot upright with a screech and leapt at the window, tail lashing.
Outside was a beautiful part-tabby, staring boldly in at her. Mooch had made his entrance - but not into our house. He flitted off when I approached him, but the next evening he was back, a little bolder. He looked well fed, and we assumed he was a neighbour's cat paying a visit.
Night after night he escalated his boldness. It was still late winter, so we caved into his demands and left food for him on the veranda. He shied from us when we put down the bowl, but his stomach overcame his hesitation, and when we went inside he wolfed down our offering.
Mooch became more demanding. He'd leap up to the outside window sill a few inches from us and meow for food, although we couldn't hear him through the glass. He even posed for a photo. We gave him a name - Mooch, after that delightful kitty in Patrick McDonnell's comic strip, Mutts.
Now with the arrival of spring and warm weather, Mooch reminds us of Sheridan Whiteside, that famous title character in "The Man Who Came to Dinner". He camps on the comfy chairs on the veranda, and demands three meals a day. But we worry about what will happen when the cold Canadian winter returns and Mooch is still outside. We can't bring him indoors - he won't stand for it. And we've noticed that he doesn't tolerate other cats who come near him. Besides, he may have a home and he's been conning us all along, but we're not certain of this. I suppose we can cut an entrance door in a wind-proof wooden crate, line it with a fluffy blanket and park it on the veranda. But safe heating for it is a poser.
Whatever happens, it seems that Mooch is calling the shots in this family that's long accustomed to being victimized and controlled by cats.
Copyright © Bobcat
May 19, 2004
A HAPPY ENDING
Since the above story was written, Mooch has gone home. A neighbour saw a "lost cat" notice on a lamp post including a photo of Mooch, and gave us the phone number. We called, and the woman came right over. She waited in our driveway with the food dish until Mooch came near her, grabbed him and took him to her car.
The woman said that up until two weeks ago, Mooch must have been living a double life, cadging food from us and going home to sleep at night. But the reason Mooch increased his visits to our place in the past two weeks and slept on our veranda is because two feral cats have moved under her next door neighbour's veranda, and Mooch is terrified of them. That's when she posted the "missing cat" notice. She said they were anxious to get him back quickly because they were moving out of the district in a couple of weeks.
We told her she should keep Mooch indoors until then, and the woman agreed. So he's safely back with his family, and we're delighted. But we all miss the little guy's pretty face peering in our windows. All but Martha, our Defender of Hearth and Home. She probably believes she's finally scared off the trespasser for good - if she thinks about it at all!
Copyright © Bobcat
May 26, 2004
