When we moved in almost two years ago, there was a single black cat with a white stripe down his front that would come to our backdoor once a week (usually on Wednesdays…go figure) looking for food. I started giving him small bits of cooked meat from time-to-time, and over a period of months, his appearances became more and more frequent.
Soon, it got to the point where he came running over anytime I started cooking, even when the doors and windows were completely closed. One day, another cat started doing the same thing. This one was completely black. They would show up at different times, and they were always begging for food.
Earlier this year, a sweet little black cat with white paws and a white nose started appearing. His meow sounds like the cry of a baby, so you can imagine how startled I was when I was upstairs and heard it for the first time. He doesn’t beg as much as the others do, but when he does, I almost always give him something because he’s just so cute.
A couple weeks ago, he approached the backdoor, and the original cat, clearly not approving, came rushing over. The original cat stepped right up to the door and lunged at the other one when he tried to come up next to him. This went on for a few minutes, as the cute cat slowly inched his way closer to the door. They both eventually left.
Last weekend, we were watching the Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys football game. We were having trouble getting the channel we needed, so we cracked the door open and put the antenna outside. (We don’t have TV service.)
About an hour into the game, Mr. Handsome shouted, “Cat!” and we both rushed over to the door to find that the cute cat with white paws had managed to push the door open and was halfway into our house. I gently pushed him back and pushed the door closed as much as I could.
For the next two hours, he tried to open that door. He would stick his little white paw inside and try to squeeze his way in. I couldn’t help but take a couple pictures. We kept putting things in front of the door, but he kept pushing them out of the way.
Of course, we would have loved to bring him in and pet him, but we’re just too concerned about fleas. Mr. Handsome’s family had a battle with fleas when he was a kid, and it took a very long time to get rid of them.
Despite our refusal to let him into our house, the cat with white paws often sits by our front door waiting for us to come outside. He always brightens my day. We have seen a few other cats around (one that is a beautiful tan color), but they have never approached the door. Do you have cats in your neighborhood?