Here Kitty Kitty!

Our neighborhood has had an explosion of strays over the past month or so. At any given time, you can see a variety of kittens romping around. There's a gray tabby, a brown and black calico, a white and brown calico and a marmalade tabby. However, there are also adult cats - a couple gray tabbies (one of which is pregnant!), a white long hair, two solid blacks and a grizzly looking black and white.

While Curtis fell for their cuteness, we avoided getting sucked in for at least a month. But then ... then the sweet marmalade tabby decided we were his Favorite Deck Ever. He'd hang out on our deck cushions, cuddle up next to Daphne and wind himself around our ankles, crying to be stroked.

Then he figured out how to come through the pet door. It was on after that. He would just pop in and out, chasing and be chased by Daphne, attacking stray bits of everything and generally testing out this new environment. Billy was intolerant of this at first, but when the kitty learned to stay away from Bella and her toys, and let Javi roughhouse with him without clawing him up - Billy sort of accepted that this kitty would come around every once in a while.

But then I set food out. And the other cats would eat the food and leave our marmalade kitty without any. And the kitty would come inside and curl up at our feet or in Daisy's old bed. And Billy really caved. He decided the kitten needed to use the cat door so we could keep food for him in the basement and that we needed to get him house ready (flea bath here we come) so we don't become infested with parasites.

I knew it was all over and that we had ourselves a new pet when I brought Daisy's old bed from the living room window to the bedroom window last night. The kitten, which Javi has named Tiger (of course), hopped right in, curled up and passed out. He was still there this morning and is now grooming himself on the deck.

He's a keeper!