Thursday, November 11, 2021

The Return of a Friend

It has been a tough time for some of the cat-people I know. Three cat-blogs I follow have each had to bear a heavy loss in the last week or so, and, closer to home, friends have lost two foster-cats. Such events are always sorrowful, and not much can alleviate the painful feelings that they cause.

But good news may be had, even in tough times, and I have some to share. Those who have been reading this blog for a while may recall the outsider-cats who have come to eat at the food-bowl I provide for them, the Café Cosy. Some may remember the all-black Sable, who used to come to the café with her more timid sister, Sablette. I see that, according to past blogs, I started feeding them more than three years ago. Sablette sadly stopped accompanying her sister by the spring of 2020.

Sable would cease to come to the food bowl for extended periods. I note that I wrote of her return in March of last year, after not having seen her for a long time. This year, she stopped coming in late April, or early May. For some reason, I thought, after a long time, that something had happened to her, and she would not return. But this week, she did.

At ten-thirty, on a week-night, I saw a black cat huddled on the steps down to my ditch. I immediately thought of Sable; she used to wait there for food. It was difficult to tell for certain, in the light afforded by a dim outside bulb, and because short-haired black cats all seem to resemble each other. But this one wanted food, and I hurried to prepare a dish of Fancy Feast.

Almost as soon as I placed the food on the concrete floor of the ditch, the cat came to eat it. That was exactly what Sable had done; she was wary enough not to approach too soon, but trusted me a little, so she would want to eat even before I had closed the sliding door once more. And then I saw her right ear, the rim of which was lined with silver, probably from an old frost-bite. It was Sable.

Her condition seemed to me to be a little rougher than previous, as though she’d had some trouble keeping the excellent care she had priorly kept of her coat, or had aged rather more than she should have since I had last seen her. She ate a tin and a half of Fancy Feast, before hurrying away again, in the same direction she would always go after her visits.

She hasn’t been back for a few days, but I will check each night. The hard-food is always out for any visitor, as is fresh water, now in a heated bowl, due to the dropping nocturnal temperatures. Sable will always have a table reserved at Café Cosy. I hope she uses her open invitation again soon.

17 comments:

  1. How wonderful that Sable came back to partake of your good food an I hope she becomes a 'regular' once more.

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  2. What great news to hear that Sable has returned. Hopefully now that winter is coming, she'll continue to visit you for food and shelter.

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  3. Cold weather has arrived and therefore so has your lovely Sable. She remembered the way to your home in a good meal. It's always nice when you can help a cat lived outside in life is so hard for them.

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  4. Yes, it has been a rather heavy-hearted time lately. :-(

    I'm glad Sable returned, though, and was able to have a good meal. I, too, hope she returns soon--and often.

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  5. I am glad Sable has returned and hope it will be a more regular occurrence with cold weather setting in.
    It has been a very sad time in the Blogosphere. Although we don't know the cats personally we form an attachment to them, and a friendship with the family. It hits as hard as losing one of your own, some are particularly hard.

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  6. We will add Sable to our purrs; even though we cannot touch them, they wriggle their way into our hearts and we only want them to be healthy and pain-free.

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  7. How wonderful to see dear Sable again. We had a feral missing for almost a year and now she's back on a regular basis again.

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    1. These outsider-cats worry us to death sometimes - and they aren’t even our cats!

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    2. It does seem unfair. There are a lot of cats in my neighborhood who live outdoors—some are feral, some have homes. I always worry about all of them, especially since coyotes often come down here from the nearby hills.

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  8. I am so happy that she came back. So glad she had a good meal. I can't recall...did you address whether or not she is trappable, so to speak? Perhaps as she looks worse than she could...she needs to be seen by a Vet and make sure she isn't a mama again.If she was.

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    1. Sable is the survivor of a former feral colony in the neighbourhood; all of its cats had been fixed.

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  9. That is good news, not only for you but for Sable too. She knows where she can find her next meal. Sable was obviously very hungry.

    Thanks for doing this for these outside cats.

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  10. We are glad that Sable has returned. We love that she is welcome at Café Cosy, and hope she will be back soon -- and often.

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  11. We are glad to read that Sable is still around and trusting you. We don't seem to have ferals around here. Food left out would only attract possums from the swamp across the street. But hurray for Sable...

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  12. John you are right about the outside cats causing worry. They will bring grey hair to my head! Glad to see Sable is back visiting and I hope she visits more often now.

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  13. It's good when cats that have visited before come back.
    They know where to go for a good bite and a drink.
    Purrs she comes more often.
    Purrs, Julie

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