Monday, June 13, 2005

Kitties from heaven.

I was on my balcony tonight, enjoying the fresh air, when I heard a kitty meowing. It sounded really, really close, so I looked over the railing, expecting to see one on the ground directly below me. I didn't see it, though, so I stepped back and continued to enjoy the fresh air.

Then I screamed. The cat was RIGHT THERE. ON MY BALCONY. MY SECOND FLOOR BALCONY. Mind you, none of the other balconies are close enough for the cat to be a neighbor's visiting kitty or anything. No, this cat either a) fell from heaven or b) climbed the tree right outside our apartment (yes, the same tree that houses my bird nest--a realization which later caused my heart to sink as I thought of the destruction that could result from one kitty + 3 baby robins. Filled with trepidation, I checked the nest--and the birds were fine).

Back to my cat story. I opened my balcony door and let Boots come in (he was all black with white feet). I hurridly searched my kitchen for something he could eat--the closest I came, though, was chicken noodle soup and raw hamburger meat. Since Jeff was going to be home from work soon--the same Jeff that is so allergic to cats that I had to get rid of my beloved kitties when I moved in with him--I opened the front door of my apartment and let Boots run down the stairs and out of the building. Then I grabbed my keys and drove down to the gas station for cat food and milk (the milk was actually for us, since we were out of it anyway). Before I left, I sat down on the grass for a few minutes as Boots rubbed up against me and purred. I, of course, am already in love with this cat.

Once I got back from the gas station, Boots was nowhere to be seen. I hunted around the building with a flashlight (in hindsight, I suppose I'm lucky that no one called the police about the neighborhood prowler) to no avail. So I left the food in a bowl on our "front lawn."

I miss Boots.

11 comments:

Fred said...

We have three cats. But, last year, my wife found a stray and wanted to tame him. Sorry, three's enough for me.

She managed to capture him, had him fixed, and he's been our best friend since. We feed him twice a day. He meets us every morning when we get up, and we put something out for him every evening.

So - I can handle it because he's not the fourth in the house, but he remains an outdoor cat.

Even if Jeff is allergic, maybe Boots can be your outdoor kitty.

Jen said...

Fred! Welcome back!!

Good idea, Fred. Except that a) once winter comes, it will be very hard for me to just leave him outside; I'd probably take him to the shelter at that point and hope he gets adopted and b) our apt. complex is right off a VERY busy street, so...yeah. Getting attached to these cats (our complex has a lot of them) is not always the best idea.

I do love Boots though. He's beautiful and so friendly. If Jeff wasn't here, I would definitely become Boots' new mommy.

Jen said...

And for all I know, he DOES have a home (he doesn't have a collar, but around here that doesn't necessarily mean anything). I hope he does.

keesh said...

Jen - you should put up a flier in the apartment office.

I had a kitty named Boots once when I was little. some friends of my Dad's let me keep him at their house but then she backed out of the driveway and squished my poor kitty.

Is Jeff allergic to all cats? My husband is worse with some than others.

Are you allergic to all dogs Jen?

Jen said...

Unfortunately, we have a lot of strays wandering around this complex, which just KILLS me to see, cuz I want to take them all in. It's a little easier when they're mean, "wild" cats, but friendly cats like this are harder to resist. Then again, his non-fear of people could indicate that he IS a pet. (The food out I put out last night is gone, but hell, one of the bazillion other cats could have eaten it, too.)

Yes, he's allergic to all cats and I'm allergic to all dogs....hence the guinea pigs. =-)

sparkydiva said...

i would have taken boots and rubbed him aaaaaaaall over jeff's pillow before letting him out (i'm just vindictive like that). :o)
~b

sparkydiva said...

i would have taken boots and rubbed him aaaaaaaall over jeff's pillow before letting him out (i'm just vindictive like that). :o)
~b

Anonymous said...

LOL Sparky!! Not a bad idea :-)

No pets for me... John's super allergic to all cats and we had a bad experience with the dog we had, so if we ever DO get another pet, it will be a small dog. Like a dacshund (sp?) or something. But I'm in no hurry; I hated the hair all over the place and the shit all over the yard... I'm just not a pet person, I guess :-)
Renee

Jen said...

LOL Sparky.

I'm trying to be nice, as things HAVE been on a positive upspin lately.

Knock on wood.

sparkydiva said...

woot!! for the upspin...good luck!
~b

Anonymous said...

You can have my ex's kitten, no charge.

Damned If I Know