Sunny, We Hardly Knew Ya

I love stories with happy endings. And I think this one is headed in that direction.

When we got home from vacation last weekend, were greeted by the sound of loud meowing. And no, it wasn’t from our kitties, because they were boarded and we hadn’t picked them up yet. This was coming from outside. It didn’t take long to find the source of the noise.

Hello! Is anyone home?

This beautiful yellow tabby cat was trying to get our attention. Unlike some of the wild, feral cats that hang around Happy Acres, this one was quite tame and approachable. It came right up to us on the deck and started rubbing on us and purring. After a quick exam we saw it was declawed in front, which meant it had been someones house cat. And now it was either lost or dumped. In my experience, most of the cats that show up like this have been abandoned. We gave it some food and water and it started eating like it hadn’t had a meal in a weeks.

Mmmm that's good. Can I have another helping please?

It hung out with us for a few days while we decided what to do. We quickly ruled out keeping it, even though it was a real sweetheart. We had three cats inside already, and that was plenty. And it couldn’t stay outside since it couldn’t defend itself without claws, and we knew there were several feral cats hanging around here that would likely fight with it. I say “it”, because we were not sure about its gender.

At first glance, it appeared to be female. Even though it was quite friendly, I was reluctant to spend TOO much time trying to determine its sex. Upon closer examination, I decided it was a male. Lynda started calling it “Sunny”. And yes, we have “easy” written on both our foreheads!

We found out from our neighbor that it had showed up about a week earlier. Lynda set out to try and determine if it had a home, and if not, to find it a new one. We were unable to find anyone looking for a missing cat, and last night some folks came by to meet it for a possible adoption.

Can I come home with you?

Everyone seemed to get along famously, and now Sunny has a new home with a nice couple who are cat lovers. They lost a beloved kitty last year, and decided it was once again time for the pitter-patter of little paws around the house.

They promised to send us updates. For now, it’s good to know that this story seems to have a happy ending. A year from now, it’s possible Sunny won’t remember much about the whole incident. And even though this wasn’t a fairy tale, hopefully everyone will live happily ever after!