New Family

I've moved out. See, I was an indoor/outdoor kitty. I loved loved loved the outside and was a mighty hunter. I loved Mom, but really wasn't crazy about the other cats at home, so I spent a lot of time outside.

Well, there was this family a couple blocks away who leaves food out for stray cats. There really aren't strays in our neighborhood, but this lady apparently doesn't distinguish between strays and other people's pets because she doesn't believe in letting cats out. I discovered the food several years ago and promptly established a little vacation home for myself. At first the family would take me in, and Mom would have to come and get me to bring me home. But after several of these trips, Mom told the family to quit letting me in. I didn't like that, and neither did they, but they stopped.

I still hung out there and ate their food. They loved me and gave me lots and lots of attention. I'd still go home and get my loving there, but I spent a lot of my outside time at the family's house. As time passed, the family got so attached to me that they really wanted to keep me. Mom kept telling them to stop feeding me, but they wouldn't. They started leaving me my own food dish and water on their porch. They put a basket out and even made a cardboard shelter to protect me from rain.

Naturally, I basked in this. I didn't need a shelter or their food since my own home was nearby, but who could resist? I stopped going home at all, and Mom would come by to pick me up again. She'd feed me better food, check me out for tapeworm and general health, love me and do all the right Mom things, but as soon as I went out again it was right back to the family's house.

Finally I saw my chance about a month ago. The dad was going in the house, and I streaked right past him into the house too. The family let me hang out there for two days before calling Mom. I made sure they knew how happy I was there, lying on the teenager's lap for hours at a time and never showing any interest in the outdoors. Mom knew my affection had completely switched and she had lost me, so she turned me over to their care.

Mom's really upset about this. After all, we'd been together since I was a year old, and I'm ten now. And now I'll be eating a crap diet (which I love) and will probably die younger. Plus she doesn't understand how I could be unhappy in a house of five cats but perfectly content in a house of ten. But I am. I'm still not interested in going outside, although I'm sure I will be before long. Mom thinks they stole me. The only reason she relented is that I won't stay inside at her house and just keep coming back to my new home. She's hurt and mad at the people.

So she's not my mom anymore. I guess sometimes you just have to move on. But I hope she gets over it soon.