Say Hello to My Part Time Lover

Say hello to my Part Time Lover.....this bushy-tailed, extra fluffy, longer-haired female cat (with colours similar to a tiger) that waltzed into my porch......and into my heart! ;)

She arrived about a month after Cookie's passing.  Just as I lost my little tiger in the Year of the Tiger, another little tiger walked into my life.  Could it be more coincidental?  It's as if God sent another one my way for companionship to ease my grieving of losing Cookie.

From day one when I met her, I could see that she's a very affectionate cat.....and that makes it very obvious that she's not a stray but was abandoned (probably when her owners moved away and didn't take her along) or she was intentionally discarded!  How could anyone be so heartless as to throw away such an adorable and tender-loving cat? :'(

At around the same time, I also noticed a ginger-coloured cat in the back alley of my house.  He was also bushy-tailed with longer fur (just like the female cat) and very friendly with my husband who was doing some work at the back.  I'm wondering if they could be siblings, both discarded, but she somehow managed to get to the front road.

She was walking so slowly and lethargically when she first came that I thought she was an old cat (but her youthful-looking face told me otherwise).  She must have been famished, tired, feeling lost and under stress in an environment that she was not familiar with.  She looks a lot happier now (and can even chase after birds) after food and shelter were provided.

Let me tell you why I know with certainty that she was someone's pet once and not a stray.  She was not afraid when I approached her (unlike untrusting stray cats).  I could lift her up and cuddle her (like a baby).....from the very moment I met her.  I could rub her under her chin without her even flinching.

She would let me hold her paws (and I don't feel her nails piercing my hand as they're always retracted).

She would allow me to belly rub her (she actually loves to be belly rubbed and would expose her belly to me begging for rubs...lol)!  Is she adorable or what? ;)

I could even put her over my shoulders (like patting your baby after milk to help him/her burp)...hah..hah.  Note that all these were from the very first few days after I met her.  

You can't do that with a stray (you've just met).  Sometimes you can't even do that after months of feeding them as they don't trust you enough or they're just not used to human touch being out on the streets all their lives.  P/S: Even my Cookie couldn't be cuddled or belly rubbed even though I've had him for years.  Maybe it was just not in his personality to be touchy-feely (I don't really know and I've never understood why).  But this female, she's very docile.

I've never met such a loving and adorable cat.  Even the many strays that I've fed that have come and gone over the years.....I was never able to do that with any of them.  The best I could achieve was to give them a rub on their heads or pat them...that's about it.

For a cat to expose their belly inviting a rub means he/she has connected with you and really trusts you.  Some pet cats that you've had for a while may even claw you when you do that.

This female is so cuddly, it's unbelievable.  She is so lovey-dovey that she'll tug at your heartstrings.  It's obvious she has been "taught" well by her previous owner (as she behaves much better than my Cookie ever did, I guess I wasn't a very good cat mommy).  Why someone would be so cold and unfeeling to discard her just like that, it's impossible to comprehend.

Oh, do you still remember this ginger-coloured cat from the group of three brothers?  Well, the other two brothers have disappeared (preferring to be fed by another neighbour) but the ginger cat has remained.  So, I do my civic duty and feed him too.

As much as I want to offer this girl a forever home, I'm also afraid.....afraid of the bond we'll one day share...and the heartbreak I've to go through again when she leaves me (just like my dearly departed Cookie). T_T

For now, all I can do is to ensure she won't go hungry (or thirsty) and offer her a place to sleep (outside where I've made a box for her lined with a soft mat) for when she needs it (I've seen her sleeping there many nights).  That's all I can offer.  I guess she's what I call my part time pet (along with the stray ginger male).  Is there even such a thing as part time pets?  Lol! ^_~