R.I.P. Misty

Yesterday Misty (the feral cat) didn't show up for dinner. Her habit of late has been to appear right at the door, practically ready to ring the doorbell in order to be served. At first it didn't concern me too much. Just thought she was running late. And cats are unpredictable creatures who will gladly worry you if they have a party to attend. Multiple checks for her yielded nothing.

This morning I put out her dry food as usual. Fully expected her to come running within a few minutes. Kept checking, and checking, and checking. No Misty. As Nellie and I were coming home from walkies, a nagging, gloomy feeling came over me. For some reason I was drawn to our corner - the area I call the thicket - and started peering in. There was a dark gray mound, which I really couldn't make out too well, lying in the middle. Could be anything I tried to tell myself, but I just knew. Took Nellie home, called for long suffering partner, and we went out just to reassure me that it was nothing to be alarmed about. It was Misty. A coyote is suspected. There are no words that can convey the rage and sadness her death has caused. She was so close to letting me touch her; she had briefly come into the house. We were making such progress. And then this. She deserved so much better in life. She deserved a loving, safe home. She didn't deserve what happened to her. She will be missed every day.

I found a poem I wrote when I was 17 that sums up my feelings. 

She's such a tease

Misty has been teasing us for a few days now. She looks longingly at a door and I obligingly leave it open for her to waltz in. She has, very briefly, on two occasions. Today was a bit different. Both long-suffering partner and I were busily getting laundry organized in, of all places, the laundry room. We noticed her in the Critter Café and opened the door to see what she was up to. Don't worry, there were no birds or squirrels in sight. Anyway, Misty heard the door open, and as the laundry room in one place she has briefly explored, she walked over to peer in. Once she saw there were two of us taking up space, she decided against coming in, but seemed very uncertain about that. Just to see what might happen, I left the door open and found things to do while I talked to her. She kept coming over, walking away, coming closer, and we hoped for the best. The closest she got was the threshold, but that's progress. I thought of feeding her just inside the door to see what she would do, but was convinced not to. If we go through this tomorrow, the food bowl will indeed be just over the threshold. Rains are coming and, for her sake, having a dry warm place to hang out seems like a good idea. We'll see what happens.

This is her first foray into thinking about entering the room:

And now she's bolder, but still not entirely enticed. Patience...something I'm not known for!

Misty is just chillin'

At  last my obsessive desire to make Misty comfortable (other than just making sure she's fed), is happening -- sort of. She has finally accepted the basket I put out for her as a good resting place until she convinces me to serve her dinner. Or breakfast. Or an afternoon snack. Whatever. Anyway, while she doesn't curl up in it for very long and doesn't use it for her bed at night, she deigns to curl up in it to make me happy. Or just because she can. Don't know, don't care. Just delighted she uses it at all. And yup, she's the dark spot in the basket.

Dine and dash

You'd think a cat would be grateful for being fed (now twice) every day. You might think a cat who comes to the front door to tell you to take care of her dietary needs would let you pet her. Or maybe not hiss at you. Or just maybe would stick around after licking the bowl clean to have a chat or leave a tip. Welp. Misty not only doesn't pay for her meals or leave a tip for excellent service, she scarpers right after eating for parts as yet unknown. And somehow I'm totally okay with that. 

The basket to the right of the picture is set up for her to snuggle in if she so desires. Has she used it? Why no. Thinking of building a little house over it so when the rains finally do show up, she'll have a snug place to settle. It's under a table, so that will provide some added protection from the elements.

Quick update on Paco and Misty

As those following the Paco story know, he's in a new home. He's thriving there and now the family knows what I meant when I described him as a tornado. Well, we finally got him into the Vet for his neuter procedure and I had to call Paco's folks to say he was being kept overnight (a surprise). When I went to pick him up next day and return him home, I was greeted by T (the Dad) who said that L (the 7 year old daughter) was very upset when he didn't come back same day. That made me almost jump for joy. Why? Because that means bonding has taken place in the best possible way. That means this is the PERFECT family to take on a Pug who only needs love and a LOT of training. And patience. In another week Paco will go in to have his stitches removed and alas, that's my last duty as dog rescuer. I kinda don't want their reliance on my services to end; on the other hand, one must let go. And I still get to love him up when he's out on walkies with his new brother Milo (who is still trying to teach him to back off a bit), and his terrific family.

As for Misty, the feral cat who's decided we can feed her and provide a semi-safe place to hang out, she's trained me very well. She now comes up on the front porch to let me know it's time to feed her the dry food. Yes, your majesty, coming right out. Then, two to three hours later, she appears on the back patio where she stares at our back door until someone spots her and I run out her wet food with her special treats on top. The hissing I've decided to translate as "thank you very much," though I suspect it's nothing of the sort. She still backs off a bit when I put the bowl down, but I barely have to step away before she goes to her dinner. 

Today, though, was an interesting breakthrough -- I think? I saw her on the front porch as I was heading out the door to accomplish a task that's been put off too long (as most tasks around here are), and assured her she'd have her food in a minute. She looked at me, looked at the open door, and almost came into the house. Let me repeat that. Knowing two dogs and this human she hisses at live inside, Misty came to the OPEN door and almost stepped over the threshold. Progress or insanity? With cats, one never knows. But I hold out hope we can gain her trust and she will allow us to do far more for her than wait on her outside.

At least this cat allows me to pet her

Some days you have wonderful wins. Other days you feel like all your efforts are in vain. The last two days, we've had wins. Paco is adjusting and showing us all the loves. Misty is still coming for dinner (though I've noticed she never leaves a tip!), and we are getting nearer to cooler weather (in about 5 weeks). Why is the cooler weather of particular importance? Because then Nellie's walkies bestie Nick will be able to come out again. But the efforts in vain are those to convince Misty we are only here to help her. She still hisses and won't come near, but she will let me stand closer after the food bowl goes down. Small steps. At least this cat loves to get head rubs:

Another win. The way the blossoms come through, it looks as though the agave is blooming. Betcha you haven't seen that before.

 

Quick update on Paco and Misty

Paco has a home. A wonderful forever home. The best part? He'll be just down the street from me so we'll be able to see each other from time to time. Whew!! He'll be with me for two more weeks, and we'll be doing some training, getting his vaccinations, and making an appointment for his neuter surgery. Plus, and I can't stress this enough, getting his dog license. Yup, we want him to be an upstanding member of the community.

I had a dog behaviorist out today to teach Paco boundaries so he won't run out of open doors or gates, and who should walk by? His new family! It was a great teachable moment and Paco clearly likes them so much. He and their other, older dog got to meet and that will need some ironing out, but there were no red flags there.

Yesterday I managed to sort out out a way for Paco to have his own space that cannot be damaged by chewing (on our antique furniture), or if he needs to poop in the middle of the night, no damage to a tile floor. As a result, sleep was actually a thing for me. A win.

Of course, the longer he's with us, the more in love we are. However, in this case, good sense is prevailing and his new home will be so perfect, there are no regrets, just joy he will have the life he deserves. And who wouldn't want this face to greet them every day?

Alas, Paco is the type of dog who chases squirrels and cats. Misty is smart, though, and sussed out that she simply had to show up for dinner under the car in the driveway, which is where she used to spend her time before deciding our backyard patio was more her style. While she still hisses, she will come to the food bowl upon presentation and allows me to be only a step or two away when she eats. So in two weeks, when Paco has moved into his new digs, I hope we can convince Misty to come back to the comforts of our more secure backyard.

And thus endeth today's critter saga.