Charlie It's Officially Morning

Sitting here drinking my black Hazelnut coffee and mulling over my morning.
We have lot of feral cats around here and some that have been abandoned by owners losing their homes, sigh ...SAD for both. Some of those are now untrusting of people. Ferals are even more fearful of humans.
Charlie shows up for his/her breakfast between 6 and 7 every morning now.
Charlie and his sibling are beautiful long haired gray cats. We don't know if it's a Charlie or Charlene ( can't get that personal ). Kid # 7 named it. Somehow she managed to coax it inside in the dead of winter with a plate of food.. Leftover roast. YUM!  Shut the door and the cat almost climbed the walls...I shit you not!
Finally it settled down , ate and took over the dog rug under kid #7's bed that was my pomeranian Lady's.
Poor Lady lost her space. sniff
Kid #7 made a quick trip up into the (no standing erect attic)  and  retrieved the baby gate of grandchild #17.
Keep in mind that my house dogs only see cats through the sliding glass door. If the two species should meet in the fenced in backyard a chase pursues with them barking their heads off. Quick thinking added a blanket over the child proof gate so the lap dogs couldn't see it.
A litter box and all that good stuff, cat dishes, toys both catnipped , no catnip found it's way into my shopping cart, plus a new bed for Lady . We have had cats 2 and 3 at a time when my kids were growing up, but that was a long time ago. Maybe I should word that different. When my kids were young. Grown-up I don't know about, but then I'm just their mother.
Grand #17 has been wanting a beagle. Hubby has been saying no more animals right now. Charlie became a secret.
That in itself needs some explaining. We have 2 dogs plus some other animals, but I'll leave that for another day.
Fast forward 2 months later.
Charlie was not impressed by his/her new living quarters. When you made eye contact he/she would hiss , swing his/her paw at you and leave the impression don't mess with me human..
Preferred an old ball of yarn to his/her numerous toys when emerged from under the bed only to eat or use his/her facilities.
Spring came early here.  I shit you not!  Snow and ice hopefully are gone for good. Charlie wanted OUT long before we finally decided it was best to set it free..
The door was opened . He/she sauntered out . The cat parafanilia was packed away. Could another kitty be in our future? Maybe.
Lady was over joyed to have her room and sleeping rug back.  Charlie sticks around here all day.  Comes every morning to eat. We leave the shed door cracked open enough for a refuge and put an old blanket in there..I'm a backyard bird feeder.. Charlie turned it's nose up at the nice clean pan of water we set out daily on the other side of the house with the food dish. Spied it drinking from the little pond I made in the BACKYARD for koi fish.
Charlie is a surviver.  Moral of this story is:  Cats will bite the hand that feeds them if you put your hand close enough. I shit you not!
That's All Folks !

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