In Focus

Over the summer, a cat appeared in my backyard...a very friendly brown tabby cat. Every few days she would come up to me or one of the neighbors for some food or attention. She started to stick around more and would come running whenever someone went outside. She became our little shadow in the yard, always there.

I posted online a couple of times asking if anyone owned this cat, and had no luck. As the weather began to turn and the rains began, she moved into my garage. We made her a nice little bed, and kept the door propped open with a bag of salt, so the entrance was just wide enough for her, and not for my dog.

We got into a feeding routine, and she finally quit scarfing down the food so fast and ate it at a slower pace, not finishing everything in one sitting. She did need to put on some weight.

She stuck close to the yard and garage, popping out when she heard the car doors or front door open. She’s just a cuddle bug.

I was hoping to find her a home before winter struck. I even posted online to find her a new home, and had no luck. I wasn’t looking to add cat number nine to my home, and my cats really didn’t like her. If they see her and I open the front door, they would bolt out the door and chase her into the garage.

Over the weekend, a friend had posted about a cat of hers that’s been missing since March. When I saw the pictures, I instantly thought it looked like the garage kitty, carrying a little more weight. Looking at the markings in the post, I thought it was her.

I sent her some pictures and videos of the cat, and she thought for sure it was their missing tabby. That night, she and a friend came down to look at the garage kitty in person, and confirmed it was their missing cat. I was so happy and relieved.

Apparently, the cat was at a friend’s house in a neighboring town and escaped. She may have been working her way back to her family home, but the family had since moved.

So their little runaway has been found and is going back to her home. I couldn’t be happier for this cat and her family. And the timing couldn’t have been better to get her inside before the cold gets worse and the snow flies.