Well, as of last night, it looks like we have a sixth cat.
I feed the stray cats around our apartment (there's A LOT!). Most are very scared and won't go near us, so I just put the food out and let them be. The first cat we started feeding I called Mommy Cat - she had two kittens (who have since disappeared - but they let me pet them, so I bet someone took them in, they were too cute). One night Erik and I got back from dinner and I saw a cat that I thought was Mommy across the parking lot, so I called to her (Mommy answers to her name). Well this cat bolted across the parking lot towards us, meowing her head off. She's been back to our porch every night, meowing at me anytime she sees me. A few weeks ago she started rubbing up against my leg, then let me pet her, and then let me hold her. She's such a lovey kitty.
About a week and a half ago, Erik and I talked about it and decided to see if she wanted to come in. We closed the other cats in the bedroom and opened the door - she skirted in and out, but wouldn't stay, she seemed very uncomfortable. We just decided it wasn't meant to be and left it at that.
I stopped putting food out because we decided it was best to ween her off of coming up to our apartment for food since we'll be moving - the lady below us puts out food, she could get used to going to her. Funny, though, she bypassed her food and came up to our place, so I eventually started putting food out again.
Yesterday I headed out to go to the pre-deployment briefing and there she was, sitting on our porch. During the day, I've never seen her during daylight hours. I put some food out and headed down to the truck to put the trash bag into the back (so I could drive it to the dumpster on my way out of the parking lot). Well the kitty follows me down there and back up, running a few steps ahead, stopping to see if I'm coming, then going again. On my way back up I lost track of her - then saw her hiding in the bushes. I thought to myself, I bet that's where she's been hiding all this time, that's how she knows when we're home (every time we come home I get food then come back out to put it out - the little rat is already waiting on the porch, I've known for a while now that she's been watching us from someplace).
Sure enough, we got home later and I bend over and see two little eyes staring back at me - this little kitty had been living in a bush at the bottom of our stairs this whole time. I talked to her and she meowed, then I started walking and she followed me up. It was freezing out last night and it's only supposed to get colder, I told her to get inside, she's done living out there. I left the door open and let her try to come in - she'd step in then out and rub along our bikes (locked on our porch). I picked her up and brought her in - and she didn't fight me this time. I think she knows it's getting cold and she needs somewhere warm to be. And honestly, she decided she was living with us weeks ago when she started coming around. Period.
We let her explore the apartment a bit and let the cats get used to seeing her, and she spent the night closed up in the office and the office bathroom so she can get used to being inside. I visited her over the night and she was so sweet, purring and loving on me. I have a litter box with litter and dirt in it (not sure if she knows how to use a regular box) and she used it over the night. The boys and Trixie aren't bothered by her...the girls will take a little bit...but that's normal.
I have a vet appointment at 11 so we'll see how things go.
I feed the stray cats around our apartment (there's A LOT!). Most are very scared and won't go near us, so I just put the food out and let them be. The first cat we started feeding I called Mommy Cat - she had two kittens (who have since disappeared - but they let me pet them, so I bet someone took them in, they were too cute). One night Erik and I got back from dinner and I saw a cat that I thought was Mommy across the parking lot, so I called to her (Mommy answers to her name). Well this cat bolted across the parking lot towards us, meowing her head off. She's been back to our porch every night, meowing at me anytime she sees me. A few weeks ago she started rubbing up against my leg, then let me pet her, and then let me hold her. She's such a lovey kitty.
About a week and a half ago, Erik and I talked about it and decided to see if she wanted to come in. We closed the other cats in the bedroom and opened the door - she skirted in and out, but wouldn't stay, she seemed very uncomfortable. We just decided it wasn't meant to be and left it at that.
I stopped putting food out because we decided it was best to ween her off of coming up to our apartment for food since we'll be moving - the lady below us puts out food, she could get used to going to her. Funny, though, she bypassed her food and came up to our place, so I eventually started putting food out again.
Yesterday I headed out to go to the pre-deployment briefing and there she was, sitting on our porch. During the day, I've never seen her during daylight hours. I put some food out and headed down to the truck to put the trash bag into the back (so I could drive it to the dumpster on my way out of the parking lot). Well the kitty follows me down there and back up, running a few steps ahead, stopping to see if I'm coming, then going again. On my way back up I lost track of her - then saw her hiding in the bushes. I thought to myself, I bet that's where she's been hiding all this time, that's how she knows when we're home (every time we come home I get food then come back out to put it out - the little rat is already waiting on the porch, I've known for a while now that she's been watching us from someplace).
Sure enough, we got home later and I bend over and see two little eyes staring back at me - this little kitty had been living in a bush at the bottom of our stairs this whole time. I talked to her and she meowed, then I started walking and she followed me up. It was freezing out last night and it's only supposed to get colder, I told her to get inside, she's done living out there. I left the door open and let her try to come in - she'd step in then out and rub along our bikes (locked on our porch). I picked her up and brought her in - and she didn't fight me this time. I think she knows it's getting cold and she needs somewhere warm to be. And honestly, she decided she was living with us weeks ago when she started coming around. Period.
We let her explore the apartment a bit and let the cats get used to seeing her, and she spent the night closed up in the office and the office bathroom so she can get used to being inside. I visited her over the night and she was so sweet, purring and loving on me. I have a litter box with litter and dirt in it (not sure if she knows how to use a regular box) and she used it over the night. The boys and Trixie aren't bothered by her...the girls will take a little bit...but that's normal.
I have a vet appointment at 11 so we'll see how things go.
