FROM FERAL TO FAMILY MEMBER.......3 years in the making...

When we moved to the new house 3 years ago.....
All the neighbors thought we brought along the
Family Cat....
No one had ever seen her before we showed up.....
But we didn't own a cat...In fact I am NOT a
Cat Person....
Never have been...basically I have always hated cats since
the early 60's when a Siamese jumped on my back while sitting
in a doctors office...but that's another story...
 Then one day looking out the back door this is what I saw...
A cat curled up napping in a flower pot...
A few days later I noticed the same cat pulling a snake
out of one of our sea grass....
I decided on that day that I would start feeding this cat if it
meant she was going to be a snake killer...
Did I mention I also hate snakes....

She hung out high up on our fence....
watching us coming and going...
I had to admit she was cute...

So the feeding began.....at first once a day....
 then twice a day....
and she kept coming back....
spooked if we dared to go near her....in fact we didn't know
if she was a he or he was a she...?? 

But she sure ate a lot....up to three times a day I would put
Out food....and it would be gone in no time...
Only problem was...one day she would look chubby and large...
A few days later....she would look thin and small...
So I would put out more food.....
I was so confused.....
Until.....

We realized there were two......
at this point we figured out that possibly they were litter mates....
she being the female smaller one and he being the
Male...
Shortly after... he disappeared....But she remained....

I happened to have the blog ladies over for lunch one day and
they were admiring our new addition when Miss Linda
Of "A La Carte"...who is some what of a Cat Expert...
knew that she was a Feral or wild cat....
She knew this by her clipped left ear tip....
Sure enough when I Googled Feral Cat....
That is how you identify them....

It took a good two years for Miss Kitty to trust
the Boss and climb on to his lap...
It took me a little longer....Would you trust that man??
Unsure of herself...she would quickly jump off and go hide in
the woods...
 As you can see in the picture....with cold weather approaching
We thought she would appreciate having a warm spot to
Call Home....so we got a house just for her...

And then one day...she decided to see what it was like
inside the door....
She also seemed to like having her picture taken....
It was then that I started to get Smitten with the Cat....

Here she was before we provided her with high class
Housing...
I posted on Facebook that she got free food and free
Housing....she didn't work all day...
She must be a "Democat".....
Nasty comments ensued from some old High School Friends about how could I say
Such a politically incorrect thing....
My response...."lighten up people...it's just a cat"

One day she decided she would have better luck getting
Our attention if she stood by the back door...
Where she would sit and watch us eat breakfast...

After a few failed attempts inside the house...
Don't ask....
She was finally feeling comfortable that we were not
going to eat her for dinner...
After all we do have a reputation for constantly eating...

And then she discovered....
Furniture!!

We did have a bit of a scare a few months ago....
when she has a tussle with a snake...
As you can see it bit her right on the face....
we were not able to go near it...
But nature being what it is....healed it beautifully...

This is one of her favorite spots in the house....
Our rug in the master bath...

Better yet....she discovered out Bed!!
My side....
I did treat her for fleas (not that she had any)....in case
any of you are wondering if we have lost our minds...

sleeping on the hearth....

But her favorite spot is....
On the Boss' chest...
He's officially the "cat whisperer"
She follows him everywhere..
Even to the bathroom where she waits outside the door....

Here she is playing with his toes....
He won't even let me play with his toes.... :)

And the best of all....
We can actually leave her in the house when we are gone...
She's officially head of security....
When we leave she is lying on her back on the couch...
And when we return she is right where we left her...
She has never hissed once....she has a quiet little
Meow....
She sleeps under our bed at night and when she wants to go
out she stands next to the bed and makes little noises...
Of course on my side....
She wouldn't dare disturb her best friend....
But I think I can say she's a keeper....
She's welcome to stay as long as she likes....