3equines
11-22-2010, 07:22 AM
but just like the song, she wouldn't stay away.
Aveena is my wiley female kitty, adopted at 4 weeks old from a wood pile behind a garage in town. I hand raised her but she was never affectionate, always ferocious an independant. A great huntress that deposited a constant supply of 'presents' both living and dead at the foot of my bed or somewhere even less convenient.
I was surprised at how well she made the transition to our new home here in Oregon, got used to the house, the dog, etc with much greater speed than I anticipated. Even became affectionate and started sitting on laps in the evening.
Then we were gone for nearly the whole month of September, for elk hunting in the Snake River area. Aveena was outside for the whole time, with a neighbor leaving cat food on the patio for her. She came back a few days after we arrived home and lounged around inside for a whole week.
Then my fiancee and I took a short weekend trip up to Washington in early October, and we never saw Aveena after that. I gave her up for dead, killed by a raccoon, a coyote, or traffic. But my fiancee swore he saw glimpses of her in the neighbor's field or the blackberry hedge from time to time. I was sure he was just seeign another cat with the classic Tuxedo markings of Aveena. Why would she lurk around but not come up to the house?
Last week my fiancee saw Aveena's likeness trotting down the railroad track headed towards town. He stopped his pickup and got out and called to her. She stopped, turned around, and looked at him for a good long moment before carrying on.
Last night it was blowing sleet and hail, and I heard a cat carrying on at the door. I had been playing the "door game" with our other cat ALL DAY - in, out; out, in, in, out... so I ignored the racket for about 5 minutes before finally giving in. Lo and behold, it was Aveena!
She just walked right in, all happy to see me, and acted like she had only been out for an hour. She is lean, muscled up, and has a good share of parasites along for the ride, and has a bit of a limp on one hind leg, but otherwise sleek in the coat, bright in the eye and happy to be a house cat again.
Aveena found a nice high perch in the kitchen. Our wood stove is in the same room, so we put a fan on top of the fridge to move the warm air into the rest of the house.
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz241/susnakela/DSCF3979.jpg
Aveena is my wiley female kitty, adopted at 4 weeks old from a wood pile behind a garage in town. I hand raised her but she was never affectionate, always ferocious an independant. A great huntress that deposited a constant supply of 'presents' both living and dead at the foot of my bed or somewhere even less convenient.
I was surprised at how well she made the transition to our new home here in Oregon, got used to the house, the dog, etc with much greater speed than I anticipated. Even became affectionate and started sitting on laps in the evening.
Then we were gone for nearly the whole month of September, for elk hunting in the Snake River area. Aveena was outside for the whole time, with a neighbor leaving cat food on the patio for her. She came back a few days after we arrived home and lounged around inside for a whole week.
Then my fiancee and I took a short weekend trip up to Washington in early October, and we never saw Aveena after that. I gave her up for dead, killed by a raccoon, a coyote, or traffic. But my fiancee swore he saw glimpses of her in the neighbor's field or the blackberry hedge from time to time. I was sure he was just seeign another cat with the classic Tuxedo markings of Aveena. Why would she lurk around but not come up to the house?
Last week my fiancee saw Aveena's likeness trotting down the railroad track headed towards town. He stopped his pickup and got out and called to her. She stopped, turned around, and looked at him for a good long moment before carrying on.
Last night it was blowing sleet and hail, and I heard a cat carrying on at the door. I had been playing the "door game" with our other cat ALL DAY - in, out; out, in, in, out... so I ignored the racket for about 5 minutes before finally giving in. Lo and behold, it was Aveena!
She just walked right in, all happy to see me, and acted like she had only been out for an hour. She is lean, muscled up, and has a good share of parasites along for the ride, and has a bit of a limp on one hind leg, but otherwise sleek in the coat, bright in the eye and happy to be a house cat again.
Aveena found a nice high perch in the kitchen. Our wood stove is in the same room, so we put a fan on top of the fridge to move the warm air into the rest of the house.
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz241/susnakela/DSCF3979.jpg