In the Spring of 2003 a small orange cat appeared in our neighborhood. Of course it reminded us of our dear departed Marmalade Kitty, also an orange cat, though Marmie’s color was more beige than orange. A week or so after its first appearance, I saw it lying in the grass near our back yard bird feeder. Later it was curled up asleep near by.

Several days later I got a fairly close look at the cat and which appeared to be quite thin and dirty, as though it may not have been eating regularly and had been sleeping rough. If so it probably had been hoping to catch one of the birds who frequented the feeder.

A can of food left near where the cat had been napping soon disappeared and a small dish of cat chow, also quickly disappeared. Later it spent a long time grooming itself and finally settled down in the grass for a long nap.

Next morning, after returning from taking Beverly to school, I put out a dish of chow in the same place as the previous day and the orange was soon eating from the dish then later on lay up under a bush in the back yard. This became a pattern and over the next couple of weeks I discovered that the cat was male and had been neutered. Though it seemed used to people, the little cat would not come close, even when offered a can of food as a bribe. It would come when called but then sit down at a distance and wait. It didn't seem afraid, just wary and it stayed in our little woods, usually under a bush or sometimes curled up in the grass.

After moving to our new house we kept Tommy Cat inside for several years, but that spring had begun to let him go outside again. He had come to us as an outdoor cat and liked to be outdoors, but could be counted on not to roam but to stick close to the house.

Of course Tom quickly discovered the food I was putting out for the orange cat and one morning he tagged along as I was going out to fill the dish. O.C. was as usual waiting nearby and came out when I called. As soon as he saw Tommy, O.C. began mewing at him. Tom simply headed for the dish, intent on getting a snack while O.C. circled around him mewing all the time.

I filled the dish and Tommy ate a couple of bites then headed for the house, O.C. following after, still mewing. I am not sure what Tom thought of this but he stopped to look at this stranger, who promptly ducked his head and tried to rub it up under Tom’s chin. Tom has always been good to our other cats, letting them climb over him when they were kittens and generally acting as adoptive daddy. Seldom has he had a problem with another cat and O.C. was to prove no exception!

Tom responded to the head butt with a light swat, as if to say “quit” and while I watched in amazement, he continued on up to the deck, followed by his new friend. Tom eventually lay down on the deck O.C. nearby. Going in by the garage, instead of the back door, I left the two guys together to see what would happen.

They stayed together, on the deck, for a while, and when Tom got up to go out in the yard, his new friend followed along. Tom stayed out quite a while and eventually when he came back inside, O.C. stayed on the deck.

Next morning Tom again went out with me to fill the chow and water dishes. Again O.C. ran up to push his head under Tom’s chin, mewing all the while, and so it went for the rest of that summer. Tommy spent a large part of each day outside with his new friend. O.C. tagging along like a little kid with his adored big brother. Sometimes they would just lie in the sun; other times they would wrestle or chase bugs, just a couple of friends hanging out doing kitty things.

I put a cat bed under the deck table, which O.C. promptly moved into as though it had always been his. The deck furniture and the cover over it became a shelter for bad weather and when the weather turned cold I bought him a small house and put a heated pad in it.

That winter the only time we did not see any sign of O.C. was during a spell of bitter cold when he seemed to have found a more secure shelter somewhere near by. But he was right back within a day, looking for his usual breakfast.

This is now the second winter since the events described above and O.C. is a permanent resident of our deck. Each morning he is waiting, by the door, for his breakfast and for Tom to come out to play. O.C. still keeps his distance, from me, but on rare occasions has allowed himself be petted. He seems to like to be talked to, purring and kneading with his paws in apparent pleasure. He gets along with our other cats as well, though except for Tom, he has only met through the screen of the family room window as we do not let them go outside. Towards other cats though he is very territorial and runs them off.

With regular meals O.C. has filled out, actually becoming a bit rotund. His coat is no longer dirty and in sun light actually looks more red than orange. I have never persuaded him to come inside though. When Tom goes out, which he does every morning, O.C. runs up to greet his bigger friend with a head butt and a rub and he still tags along wherever Tom goes. This winter he has a better heater in his little house and a heated bowl for his water as well. A large towel hanging over the opening of his house will hopefully keep the wind out better, and of course the house is under the deck table and its cover, which reaches down to the deck itself.

So, to date is the story of our unexpected and most welcome little friend, O.C. I will leave it up to you to decide whether his initials stand for Outside Cat, Orange Cat or Other Cat. Or maybe his name is really just O.C.; sometimes just Mr. C for short.

Copyright © David Rorer
December 22, 2004