the cat came back

Back in the winter I would occasionally see this pregnant cat running from behind our house into the woods. Something was wrong with her vocal cords and she made this horrible honking sound. One morning Gage and I thought there was a goose in our backyard, and it turned out to be a stray cat. Then in May we would sometimes hear a meow or two coming from this huge brush pile next to our house. One day this kitten even courageously graced us with its presence. 

Two weeks ago a cat came around and I'm fairly certain it's the same kitten from May. I know the kitten is so much darker, but I'm basing it on how when we had the puppies with us they lightened up so much. They started out one color and ended up looking completely different when they were a few months old. Kind of like a black balloon. It looks black until you blow it up, but then you might get grey, or even purple. I could be wrong, who knows. 

     

So this is Frankie, who appears larger in these pictures than it actually is. We aren't sure if it is male or female. I have looked at some cat butts online (now there's something I never imagined I'd say) and I'm pretty sure it's a boy, although I need to double check today. Gage has wanted a cat for years, but Owsley and I are both allergic, although we seem to be ok with this one. I'll keep feeding him and hopefully he'll stick around. He's become really sweet and he answers when I call him. He's going to stay outside though, and hopefully he will keep mice away. 

Today I was walking and heard this meowing and he had climbed up a tree and gotten stuck. Peppy has seen Frankie hissing at a black cat in the yard a few times and we think that's what scared him. Peppy borrowed our neighbor's ladder to get him down, but Frankie ended up jumping out of Peppy's arms 20 feet to the ground, in a very graceful flying squirrel style landing. Fortunately he wasn't hurt, but he might be down to eight lives. 

I am more of a dog person, but when it comes down to it, I am more like a cat.