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Really, I do. I thought I liked her. She brought food twice a day and put it under the lilac, and that was good--a girl living on the wild side can use a handout. Then I found out the Food Lady is really tricky. But maybe I should start at the beginning. I am a feral cat. I was born and lived all my life outside with no help from humans. I learned very early to stay away from people, although sometimes I could find food near their houses. I had kittens, too, and I took good care of them...at least, I did the best I could. It's hard to raise kittens Out There. They would get sick or be killed by bigger predators. Nobody knows, except me, how many kittens I had or how many survived. One day I noticed some people had left some food out, and after they went away I made sure I got some! I had to share, of course, with the other cats in my feral colony. Still, I ate as much as I could. Then it happened again. And again. What a windfall! These people were feeding us! I began to watch for them and showed my kittens where this food was. And then disaster struck! My kitten got trapped in a big wire box. I was frantic. I tried all night to get her out of the trap thing, and then suddenly she was gone. I waited and waited, and she never came back again. The Food Lady tried to tell me she was okay, that she was being adopted by a nice family. I hope, wherever she is, that she's safe and happy. A few weeks later, it happened again--my other younger kitten went into the trap thing when I wasn't around to prevent it. He, too, was whisked away. The Food Lady tells me he's being "fostered" by SADSAC and that he'll get a home, too. Not long after that, somehow I wound up in the trap thing! I was so scared! I was taken away somewhere and given something that made me very sleepy--when I woke up, my tummy hurt and the kittens waiting to be born were gone. I guess that's probably for the best. As I said, often kittens born in the wild don't live very long. After that, I went back to the Food People's house, where I stayed for a few days. Finally, they took the box I was in outside, opened the door, and I escaped. Whew! Time went by, and I still ate the food the Food People left out. There weren't very many cats left in my colony, so I didn't need to share as much. I'd seen the Food Lady so often and for so many months, she wasn't as scary as she used to be, and I started to feel like I could be friendly. I stopped running away when I saw her. Then I started to go close to her when she left the food and I'd talk to her a little bit. After a while, I got really brave and started to rub against her. It was nice and I liked being able to trust her. Well, forget that! Would you believe that after I extended my friendship to her, the Food Lady trapped me again? I was furious! That was ages ago, and since then I haven't been outside. Of course, it is nice and warm in the Food People's house, and I'm not hungry...and the Food Lady has tried to be kind. I almost want to trust her again, but what will she do next time? Nope. I think I'll just continue to hate the Food Lady. It's safer. Update, June 2002: Okay, a lot of time has passed and some things have changed. The Food Lady is still tricky sometimes, but I've discovered that she really means well. And there are some significant advantages to having given up the wild life. I don't have to work at finding food ever again. It's always there in that little dish thing. I have to share with my brothers, JR and Hudson (I remember Hudson from when he lived outside with me--he's certainly grown!), but that's okay, because there seems to be plenty. At least, the dish thing is never empty. I get to look at rain from inside where it's dry and comfortable. I have nice, clean, cushiony places to sleep. I don't have to worry about being hurt by cars or wild animals or dogs or anything else. I'm learning how to play again, a luxury I haven't been able to indulge in since I was a kitten, and I have cool toys! And there are laps! A lap is a magical thing. The Food Lady has one. It isn't there all the time, but as soons as she sits down it appears, and I get to jump into it and lie there and purrrrrrr while she pets me. I love to be petted now. I'm still a little skittish around the other humans in my new family, but I love the Food Lady, and she says that as time goes on I'll get used to the others, too. I guess she's right. Oh, I almost forgot the most important change since I came inside. The Food Lady has a new name. It's Mommy.  |
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I hate the Food Lady!