Are We Suckers Or What?

Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

Some of you probably remember me talking about kittens that were born on our porch back in April. As a brief recap, in case you missed it, we befriended a feral cat who was the offspring of another feral cat who never really accepted us as friends but did tolerate our presence on occasion. As the offspring grew up, we managed to ingratiate ourselves into her life and she became our pet. Well, that little baby ended up pregnant and because she now trusted us, she gave birth to three little kittens right on the welcome mat outside the back door on the porch.

Neither my husband nor I really knew anything about cats but we didn’t feel that the welcome mat was the best place to care for newborns. So, we provided “nesting” materials so that momma cat could keep her little ones in a warm safe place. We found an old box and put some old towels in it and carefully transferred the little lumps of fur into the box.

Fatso 4 weeks old (Photo by P. Rickrode – May 2020)

Fatso 4 weeks old (Photo by P. Rickrode – May 2020)

Fatso 6 weeks old (Photo by P. Rickrode – May 2020)

Anyway, fast forward, our little boy, the only one remaining (momma took off to parts unknown, one was adopted out, the other well . . . we won’t talk about her) is nine-months-old already and just the sweetest most awesome cat you could imagine. We are able to bathe him, brush him, clean his ears, turn him every which way for examination and he’s just a lump of putty. We’ve grown to really love our little man. He loves to cuddle and purr.

Fatso 12 weeks old (Photo by P. Rickrode – July 2020)

Which, naturally, lead to purchasing cat toys, cat beds, cat treats, and various other cat paraphernalia. And, of course, we have to buy the expensive food because he won’t eat the cheap stuff. I think we’ve been spending more money on cat food than people food lately. We eat hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and Ramen noodles so the cat can have steak, lobster and caviar. (Can you say suckers?)

He is a very social cat as well, which may or may not be such a good thing. About five months ago, he decided to “adopt” himself a little friend. Say what? I know. One day we had one kitten, the next day, we had two. The second one is a little smaller, we think about a month younger, and pure black, so probably from the same line of tomcats that frequent this area.

Well, because both of these boys like to hang out together, we decided we’d best try to befriend the new guy as well. He’s not quite as gracious as our guy and not nearly as trusting, but we’re making progress. He’ll let us touch him and my husband can pick him up and cuddle him for a few seconds. But, he’s very skittish around other people and animals.

Anyway, suffice it to say, we now have two cats. Both black. Both boys. One has been neutered and is up to date on all of his shots. The other is more challenging in that department. We’re trying to get him used to the crate but he’s so darned afraid of everything that process is taking forever.

And now that the weather has taken a decided turn for the worse here in Mississippi, we’ve decided that our boys need a nice warm place to stay at night – and during the day too. Because our sweet boy, Fatso (yes that’s his real name), is such a good cat, we’ve been letting him into various parts of the house. Not the main areas where guests have access, but in our bedroom, the basement, where we hang out a lot, and sometimes, when we’re not preparing food, the kitchen. Let me tell you, he has adapted well. The other cat, Vader, not so much. He absolutely will NOT come into the house. We cannot figure out why. We leave the door open and he comes in about a foot then turns around and runs out. We pick him up and put him inside and he runs right back outside. Here they are looking at each other from opposite sides of the glass window (yes my window goes all the way to the floor and has a threshold). If you look closely you can see that they’re touching paws.

Fatso inside, Vader outside (Photo by P. Rickrode – December 2020)

But our little Fatso is really enjoying the life of luxury now. He has a very super soft kitty bed in the basement, a basket with a little pillow in it in my office and the entire bed in the bedroom. Not to mention a thick antique rug in my office and a really squishy sofa and recliner in the basement. Most of the time he prefers our laps, but if that’s not available he’ll curl up in a nice sunny spot and snooze the day away. At night he lays at the foot of the bed curled up next to a pair of feet and just sleeps there all night long. Life is good.

Fatso on my new coat on the bed. (Photo by P. Rickrode – November 2020)

Fatso on the rug in my office. (Photo by P. Rickrode – December 2020)

Fatso asleep in his basket in my office. (Photo by P. Rickrode – December 2020)

So we’ve spoiled him rotten, but hey, we love him. He’s been in our lives since his birth and we can’t imagine life without him.

Are you guys pet lovers? Have you ever befriended a stray? Do you spend more money on your pets than you should? Any advice for befriending Vader? We really do need to get him “fixed” if he’s going to keep hanging around here – and he seems to be content to hang out here.

Word of the Day: Telpher / Telfer

Fun fact about me: I’ve exchanged my Christmas house decorations for my snowmen decorations, which seems so weird here in the south because it so rarely snows.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2021. Images by Patricia Rickrode, Google and Pexels.

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