Outside


I was born outside and tended to go and in out of houses for much of my life. I can’t stay it was the best thing to do. I couldn’t help where I was born. My mother chose the woodpile for my littermates and me to be until we were old enough to live on our own.

Outside can be dangerous for cats, especially those who aren’t street smart. Dogs don’t always like cats and can kill on occasion. Or mean humans grab us and harm us. Or sometimes they pick us up thinking we are strays. It won’t matter if we have a home or not.

There’s also animals like raccoons who will kill us too. They aren’t great to deal with. Perhaps it’s better to keep us inside. I know we will kill birds and mice and we may not eat them. I know Ali doesn’t like it when we kill animals without eating them.

Outside Again?


image drawn by Ali Noel Vyain

I used to be an indoor and outdoor cat. I came and went as I pleased. That was until after I had lived with my girl for some time. At first, she wouldn’t let me out at all. Eventually, she let me out when she left to go to school. When she came home, so did I. Although, she once saw me on her way home and I was running in the opposite direction. As soon as I realized it was her calling me, I ran back to the porch where the door to where our first home was. She came around to the porch after locking up her tricycle and we went inside where little Spot was waiting. We were all happily reunited after a day apart.

At least that was how it was once. But this new place was where we came after a long plane trip trapped in a cage in the cargo hold. I had no idea where we were. I didn’t realize the climate was different. The ground was certainly different here than where I was born and raised. I soon found out quite by accident…

I managed to get outside once at this place. Someone had left the front door open and I took the chance. I walked outside on the porch. Then I walked off and past the sidewalk. I stopped when I had reached the grass. The ground was much too soft. Where was I? I hollered for help. I couldn’t help it. I was so confused and scared.

My girl came up behind me and talked to me. I was too upset to notice what was different with the tone of her voice. Then she scooped me up from behind and carried me back inside the house. Trust me, it didn’t take long for me to calm down after that. I don’t appreciate someone catching me and picking me up, but I was freaked out and once again my girl saved me. She carried me back inside to safety.

I didn’t go outside after that. It was too strange and scary for me. Besides, I could hear dogs out there. I have never liked dogs. Also my girl was inside with me. She was looking out for me. Better than anyone else ever could. I had no reason to go out after that.

I was used to hard dirt. Not soft grass. I didn’t know how to react or what to do. Besides, my foreclaws were gone now. How would I defend myself against another cat? I didn’t know. I did know there were plenty of strange cats out there. One even came up to the house and tried to talk to my girl. Spot and I weren’t having it. We told the newcomer he wasn’t welcome to my girl and his mama.

We were the two cats here and we weren’t allowing another to come in. My girl didn’t say or do anything. I know she heard the cat. Perhaps she had remembered the other cat that had come to her? That much have been it. That one was a full fledged tom cat. He was a lean mean hunting machine. He had lived in the desert, where I’m from.

But Spot and I wouldn’t allow him into our home either. My girl tried to help him, but to this day, she can’t say what had happened to that cat. I know she must have cared. She even tried to call after he was placed into a shelter. But she never found out anything.

So, she probably was afraid to do anything wondering if the first cat who had tried to join us had been killed in the shelter. I think she also didn’t want to upset Spot or me. We were her priority. A new cat was another added responsibility that she couldn’t afford to have. Seeing it from her point of view makes me very grateful that she never got rid of us and did what she could to keep us together.

I knew my hunting days were over. But my girl would feed me well. That much I knew I could rely on. What would I have done without her? I have no idea. I think I would have died early without her care and love. Sadly, my claws and teeth aren’t the best. I have lost most of my teeth over my life. I don’t know why it happened to me. My claws tend to be brittle too. But as I have written before, my girl takes such good care of me, I don’t have to worry about going hungry.

I know how much she loves me too. She shows me by giving me wet food whenever I ask for it. She even told me she’d keep even if I ever lose all my teeth. She is so sweet and kind. I’m glad she’s a part of my life even though she is a whirlwind.

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