Then and Now

I took the first photo at the end of March, through the upstairs window . The black-and-white stray was skittish and would disappear if he thought he was being looked at. Although we kept dry cat food available, we didn't notice that he seemed particularly hungry when he came by our house. Sometimes we wouldn't catch sight of him for weeks on end, but he kept coming back over the course of three years.



I kept hoping to see some evidence that he had a home, that someone somewhere in our neighborhood cared about him. But over time I realized that if he had a home, it wasn't a very good one. He was un-neutered and--to judge from his coat--sleeping outside. So when I finally trapped him last week, I was really expecting him to be feral. But during the course of transferring him from the trap to the cage, I was able to touch him in passing--very briefly--without drawing a hostile response from him. After he calmed down, he let me--very tentatively--scratch behind his ears.

This photo was taken a few days ago. He is adjusting to his confinement under protest. He wants out of the cage and to be outside. Neither of those things are going to happen for him. He has to stay in the cage for a few more weeks and he may never be allowed the freedom to roam that he once had.

But he has warmed up to me. I hope that means we can work him into our household. It will just take time.



He is scheduled to see the vet for a check up and surgery on Thursday.