Lady Calico de Westlake

It's funny how it goes, but we have a new cat now.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a small feral calico cat hanging out in the bushes at the side of the
house. I mentioned this to Beate, who began to see it in our back yard occassionally.

We had just lost Dusty, our cocker spaniel, to cancer in July. We still miss him, but Beate and I have said we would didn't want any more more pets for a while.

But Beate began setting out food for the cat, and I thought - it might be good if this wild creature
would stick around, especially since I've been seeing rats in the backyard and expect they are in my attic. So I encouraged Beate.

Two days ago, Beate tried to pet it, but it recoiled and hissed savagely. 'Well, keep trying', I said. 'It's a wild creature and may never be a real pet. But it may let you touch it, if you keep trying.'

We both agreed it should be an 'outdoor cat', and we named it Cali - short for calico. Via Google I found that almost all calico cats are female.

Yesterday Cali let Beate pet her. When I came out to see, the cat let me pet her, too. That evening Beate got it to come into the porch. I was watching the news and drifted off. I woke up and realised Cali was in the house. Before I knew it, she was on my lap. Soon Beate, Andrew and I were petting it. Beate called Brian and Jill, and they came over, bringing cat supplies for Cali.

She's so friendly, we think that Cali must have lived with humans before.

The vet says she looks to be in pretty good shape, and vacinated her. She is scheduled to be spayed next month.

I'm not at all sure how this is going to work out. Both Andrew and I are allergic to cats.

But for right now, we have a new cat now.