Making Strides
A bit ago I put a post out about the older cat I allowed into the garage porch. Of all the years of her coming to our patio for food, we could look but not touch. On that very cold day when I noticed Tabatha was sitting on the patio, waiting for someone to notice her, she began meowing as soon as I opened the house door. She meowed loudly the entire time it took me to get into the garage and grab the food bowl. I was going to put the food bowl our for her, but it didn’t phase her one bit to follow me into the porch as I held the food bowl in front of her and kept backing up into the porch with her following me.
Initially, she made a home in a cardboard box that was tipped on its side. Tabatha gradually picked a chair and would spend hours napping, taking time out for the litter box, food and drink.
Right about now, I can almost hear her think, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” Unlike Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Tabatha need not click her heels, she just needs to be allowed to let Dennis know she is grateful – by having him pet her.
This last week as the sun was shining into the west porch patio door, Tabatha ventured further and decided my rocking chair was a good place to enjoy the sun. Dennis always allows the cats to go out in the morning and they stay out for a long as they can take the cold and then they patiently wait for Dennis to allow them back in. This morning, Dennis reported Tabatha went to the open patio door after the rest had gone out. Tabatha stood at the open door, looked out for a spell and turned around and jumped back up on a chair. It was as if “Been there, done that.”
When spring is here to stay it will be interesting to see if she goes back to living a half block away under an old shed. Tabatha is making great strides as she allows both of us to pet her and stroke her back. When the rest of the herd isn’t right in her face, she will sit by Dennis’ rocking chair waiting for him to pet her. I can only imagine the stark, isolated life Tabatha has had for years and how this must be almost surreal for her.