Three is the Right Amout

Two weeks ago I came  home and there was a cat laying on top of a table on the porch.  It was not our cat.

I spoke to her and she did not run away.  In fact, she came up to me and let me pet her.  I gave her some dry food and water and she ate it all up.  Every time I went outside for the next few days - there she was - she never left the porch or the front yard.

I called City Hall to ask about any lost cats, I put her on my FB page, the local Lost and Found FB page and Craigslist.  She has no collar and no microchip.  I had several texts and phone calls about a lost cat, but none of them were her. That made me sad for all the people that were missing their pets and sad that she was missing form someone's life too.  

We have our two cats that are older and very set in their ways.  I didn't think they would ever accept another cat into the house.  I wasn't sure The Breadman would be on board either.  My heart has been missing my Little Lady for almost a year now.  I can never, ever replace her.  But there was a part of me that knew that this cat came to us for a reason.  She needed a good home.  We are a good home!  

She stayed outside until about last Monday when we brought her in "just to see".  Our cats looked at her and growled a little bit and then went on their way.  We let her in and out for a couple days.  

When she would come in, she would stay right by the front door and wait for it to open so she could dart back out.  

I brought her in the next night and she went straight to my quilt and slept for twelve hours straight. She wanted back out that morning, so we let her.   We've been letting her go out, but trying to keep her in most of the time.  The last time she went out she got closer to the street that I wanted so we shooed her back up towards the house.  The neighbor came out and said "There's the kitty!'  We've been letting her come in our house too."  That was when I decided if she was to be our cat, it was time to bring her in and make her our hostage.  :)  

I brought her in and showed her the bed.  She laid down on it and slept all day long.  She hasn't even looked at the front door since.  Our big boy old man cat got up on the bed and slept about three feet from her all day too.  It's going quite well and we are all pretty darn happy about it.  

She had been picking at her food and hardly drinking water (that I have seen) so I was worried about feeding her.  The other night I was sitting in the floor and I had a cup of milk sitting beside me.  She made a beeline to that milk and drank every drop of it.  So, whoever had her before gave her milk and let her sleep on the bed.  She is a super sweet cat.  Her name is Dory since she a) stays by the door.  b) is a-dor-able and c) is a lot like Dory the fish - can't find her way home.  :)  

I assure you we are not a "crazy cat" family.  There are three of us and three cats  one per lap.  It's just right.