Lucky, The Starving Calico Cat

Well, this is too strange...

On or around the fourteenth of June my husband and I decided to barbecue. With that, he had to open the storeroom outside to get a few things to use. Later he put everything away, and noticed nothing amiss. He closed the storeroom door and locked it up. The following weekend we decided to celebrate our anniversary a few days early by going out to eat and to a movie. But, he got sick that weekend, and by Tuesday (our anniversary) was at the doctors office. Wednesday he was in the hospital and stayed for nine days. He finally got out by the afternoon of July 3rd. That was a week and a day ago.

One day before going to the hospital to visit my husband, I sat outside to meditate for a while and thought heard a cat mew. Then, I thought I saw a flash of white in the little space between the storeroom doors. I went over, listened, peeked inside, and nothing was there. I thought I was imagining things. (We have a large stray cat population and they are always popping up in odd places outside.) I shrugged it off, thinking I was just worrying for nothing. Then I completely forgot the incident.

Well today, about 9:30 this morning I was on the way to the grocery store. On the porch I stopped because I heard a cat crying again. This time I got a strange feeling, so I went in, got the storeroom key and opened it up. I peered in again, but saw nothing. I went inside, opened a can of grilled chicken fancy feast, got a fresh bowl of water and went back to the shed. I placed the food and water inside and suddenly a little head appeared in the back of the room. I stepped back, and waited, but when I peeked in, the poor calico ran behind some stuff again. It took awhile but he came out, as I kept moving the bowl, and he kept running away. Also, I placed the water a longer distance from him, and gave him a peek. Finally the poor thirsty cat came out of the building to drink the water. I slammed the door shut. The cat drank every drop of water in the bowl, and gobbled every morsel of food.

From approximately June 14th to July 11th that cat had been in the storage building. That's about 25 or 26 days! How's that for one of it's nine lives. That's one lucky cat! I felt so bad for the kitty. I think I'll adopt it, but I'll have to sneak the food and water and stand guard because there's a whole population out there. Plus, we have an inside cat that is my husbands pride and joy. She's a spoiled Himalayan named Mia. While the calico was starving in the storeroom, I was taking my cat in to get groomed and shots. How's that for social injustice.

The Japanese say the calico is the luckiest of all. I believe it. I think I'll call this kitty Lucky...

m_99 :)

ps_ there's a family in the neighborhood that regularly feeds the stray cats, so I know the others won't starve while I'm standing guard for Lucky.