The Continuing Cat Saga

Once upon a time there was a mama cat that decided to live under the deck in the backyard that belonged to a wonderful family. This suited the family because they didn't particularly care for mice.

Mice, you say?

Well, the mice had also, for a time, taken up lodging under the deck and occasionally attempted living within the house adjacent to the aforementioned deck. This resulted in traps, poison and horrific ends. (I shall not go into detail. There might be children reading this tale.)

However, when the new tenants (i.e. the cats) moved in, the mice moved out, or met with some unsavory...(well, at least for the mice it was unsavory) uh, shall we say..."circumstances." This pleased the family who owned the deck and the cats have been welcome stay in their Deck Abode ever since.

The End...kindof.

The cats still continue to linger around. We don't see them for the most part. They are very skittish around us, so don't get your hopes up that we're going to get one and lovey-dove on it. Every once in a while we'll throw out an unused leftover of chicken or pork and they will hesitantly come up and eat it. Today however, I looked out on the deck and the cutest one, the runt of the litter was just sitting there looking in our patio doors. There were some "dead" leftovers ("dead" meaning they were still fine, but just past their prime...I wouldn't purposely try and make the cats sick! I don't dislike pets that much.) so I cut it up, placed it on a plate and put it out. He scooted a little bit away, but quickly came back to eat up the snack I provided. He lingered for the rest of the afternoon which is very rare. After he munched, he must've been warm, full and content because he hopped up onto the railing and fell asleep. The kids LOVED it and enjoyed checking in after swimming lessons, during their piano practice, and after dinner tonight.

The kids have named him/her "Oreo." I know, I know, they've named it, which is just as good as having a pet. Let's hope they're content with keeping this relationship at this level. No litter boxes, no cat food, no vet bills, no shed hair, no allergies...