Kits Passing in the Night

Little Buddy & Friend

To the left of me, about five feet away from my desk, is a sliding glass door that opens into the backyard. I keep the drapes open all day and sometimes into the night, as Franklin and Winston really enjoy having a view outside. So far they seem to be ok with being house kitties, but I can tell they’re very intrigued by the whole phenomenon of weather: rain, wind, snow (this week's local April Fool’s joke), or even just the long rays of the afternoon sunshine filtering into the room.

Nothing intrigues them more, though, than our local Cat About Town, who stops by at all hours to pay a through-the-window visit. He looks about a year or two old, a mixed breed leaning towards Siamese. Grey tips, blue eyes, stripped tail, I’d call him a Frost Point, if he didn’t have a few missing points to his points. He is, in a word, adorable.

At first, this "intruder" made the boys quite nervous. But over time, Frankie and Win have become quite ardent fans of this “big kid” in the neighborhood. I only have to say “Oh, look, boys, it’s your buddy!” and they come running to the door, to press their noses against the window as they make little half-meow/half-purr sounds in cordial (stereophonic) greeting to their guest.

Who IS that?

As part of our outreach to… ahh, no name! Well, as outreach to our guest, we’ve been putting out a bit of dry cat food when he stops by. Maintaining the kitty smorgasbord in Health Department-approved state poses a bit of a challenge, though, for the spring-awakened garden slugs are quite attracted to the food, and most days, the bowl contains far more protein than Mr. Purina might stipulate on his packages.

Name-TBD just paid the boys a late-night visit. I can’t help but wonder why he would be outside at 11:30 PM. But really, I can’t help but wonder why he’s out at all. Win and Frank immediately broke off their evening doze on the cat tree to perform their usual greeting ritual. Name-TBD daintily accepted a fresh, slug-free bowl of food, ate a few bites, and slipped away into the damp, dark night.

But before he left, I saw him peering inside the house, and from the wistful expression on his face, I can’t help but think he was noticing the climbing tree, the paper-filled pouncing box, the kitty blanket...imagining himself inside such a room, safe and warm. I know if I leave the door open for more than a few seconds, he will be inside. And really, I wonder if that would be a bad thing... :)

Do you have enough kibbles, mon ami?