There's a Wally on my stoep!

The story of Phez led me to share one more rescued cat story with you! Remember the photo of 'Twin' cat coming to eat at the table? Well, here is another one of him to remind you.

Thin and hungry, our Twin feral.

He first appeared in our garden over a year ago, thin and hungry, and would sneak into the house at night through the cat-flap to finish off the 'crumblies' that the others had left. Never one to hang around, he appeared, ate and left. As time passed, he became bolder and braver and would arrive at twilight to eat the food that by now, I was leaving on the outside table for him. The minute he saw us watching him he left, helped along by Alfie who decided that he did not like him at all.

Well, this went on until April this year. Early-ish one morning I went out to feed the birds and idly stroked the cat that was sitting on the table, thinking it was Dopey! Then I saw Dopey still happily eating inside and realised that this was Twin, calmly and quietly waiting for milk to end off the meal. He allowed me to stroke him a few times, then suddenly sunk claws and teeth into my hand, and left! This went on for a week, by which time I was pretty nimble at removing my hand a split second before the claws swiped sideways. As his confidence grew, so did his need to chase the other three as soon as he saw them, and our poor Dopey ended up with a huge abscess on his shoulder.

So, one morning, we scruffed and bundled him into a cat box, and took him off to the vet to have his ‘pockets picked’, to be dewormed and inoculated. This didn’t stop him from beating up the others though, and rather than have three cowering cats inside and a bully outside, I took the difficult decision to try and re-home him.

This is where my oldest and dearest friend comes in! I first met Cathy when we were eleven, so we go back a long long way! She and her husband Brian have a small holding about 110 kms from us on the way to Cape Town, so I asked her if she would like a cat. I told her that he was ex-feral, not very friendly and did not crave human contact, and she asked if I thought he would make a good stable cat?
They needed one to help keep the mouse population under control. Oh yes, was my reply, he would be perfect, the stables are warm and safe and all he really needed was food and the odd mouse here and there!

Wally outside his new home.

So, a few days later with a very heavy heart, I enticed him into a large travelling cage, put food, a litter box and a blanket in with him, and we set off. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I felt terrible as we transferred him into a huge old rabbit cage in the stable. He immediately hid behind the litter box in the corner and refused to move.
Cathy said that they would keep him in for several days until he was used to the new smells and sounds, dogs, horses and people. Every day I texted to ask how he was and back came the answers, some positive and some not positive, and I was on the point of going back to fetch him when Cathy texted to say that there was a Wally (his new name!) on her stoep (veranda)!

There's a Wally on the stoep!

He had decided that he would rather be a house cat please, and every evening he arrived to spend some time with them and sleep on the couch on the stoep! To make it easier for him to come and go, Cathy fixed a little ladder against the side of the house, as the window was a bit high for him to jump through.

Health and Safety.....no bannisters!!

He spends the days sleeping under their house, and the evenings with them. I think he still sinks his claws into the odd hand every now and then, but he has adopted them as his family, he is happy and loved and I am hugely relieved that it all worked out so well.

This is more like home!!

Cathy is convinced that he never was a feral, I think he was just waiting for the right people to come along!

Who said I can't catch a mouse?

Just one small problem, though, they still have a vacancy for a Stable Cat!!!