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One night in May when I let the dog and Ollie in, I heard the distinct sound of a kitten crying. I ignored it at first as there is a colony not too far away. As I waited for the dog I realized the sound was really close, much closer than the feral cats usually come. Sure enough the kitten was hiding in my lilies and, of course, beside a rose bush. I found him and checked him out for injuries. He seemed fine and I thought it best to leave him there with some water and allow Mom Cat to find him.
The next morning the kitten was still meowing from somewhere, but I didn't know from where. The next day after school, I could still hear him meowing and now I could tell it was from somewhere under the front veranda. I left a bowl of cat food and a bowl of water and waited. He was taking his time, so I went inside to make supper or something and when I came back the food was eaten. OK so Kitten knows to eat solid food, so probably no Mom Cat coming to look for it. Gradually over the next day or two I was able to watch Kitten come out from his hiding place and eat. In a few days when I tried to lure him into a box for a dry shelter I found a four-leaf clover, so Kitten became Clover.
Clover. May 16, 2017
At this point I just wanted to get him safe and dry (it rained FOREVER this spring) and away from the front of the house and the busy street. I brought the cat in the box to the backyard and Clover popped right out and bounded away for the front of the house. So much for that.
Clover May 18, 2017
May 30, 2017 - INSIDE the house!
At this point Clover had voluntarily moved to the side deck, which was much safer for traffic, but within reach of the dog when she's tied outside.
May 30, 2017
June 26, 2017
Now Clover follows us around when we are outside. Here she is helping in the garden.
June 28. "helping"
June 30, 2017 Still looking for a home for her.
July 6, 2017
She is quite sweet and has a wonderful purr...but still hoping to find a home for her
Aug 8: Ollie and Clover have learned to get along.
Sept 20: It's official. I have now spent money on her ($$$) so we're keeping her. Despite the hot weather we had in September, the nights turned cold quickly and I knew if she was gonna stay she had to spend the nights inside. The problem was that she had bugs, turns out they were cat lice!! In all my years of having cats, not one has ever had lice. They ONLY go on cats, so I didn't have to worry about the dog, our hair, linens, etc., but I did have to treat Ollie and Eric, too. She got a vaccine, too and dewormed, too. She came in that night to stay.
September 27. Darcy loves her.
Oct 12: "helping"
October 27, still helping.
All three cats on the bed, getting along. November 3, 2017
November 24, 2017
Clover's first snow. She has not been out since. December 1, 2017
Clover's first Christmas. She was very good. We only put non-breakable ornaments on the tree in case she climbed it or batted them down, but the tree was fine!
She only batted from underneath or on the window sill occasionally.
January 2018 Those eyes.
January 2018
Her new favorite place to sit. Why???
She actually managed to unplug the fridge one day. It's been so long since I have had a kitten, I am not used to the antics. She is so fast and so spry, nothing is safe! My geriatric cats need help to get any higher than the seat of a chair, so just by pushing the chairs in at the table, whatever is on the table is safe...but not from Clover!
Silhouette cat. January 2018
