Around Midnight

Around midnight tonight, it will be two years that Yoda has been a member of our family. That was the night that the shy, black feral cat moved into the house. He had been a half-grown kitten when he showed up on our deck via "the cats' underground railroad passageway" during the previous summer. At first, he preferred to hide in the passageway, but soon he moved onto the deck. I named him Yoda because he had not grown into his very large ears yet.

While Yoda had made friends with Rebel rather quickly, it took a while for me to be able to touch him, and I was only permitted to pat Yoda lightly on the head. I figured Yoda had made friends with Rebel because he thought the large dog would make a good buddy, especially in case he needed protection from the cats in the neighborhood. Yoda was not a fighter, although he already sported a ragged ear. After all, a cat can't run from a bully cat.

Anyway, it was a bitterly cold night two years ago, when Godot decided to dart out the front door as I let Rebel back into the house. At the time, my docile Godot would turn into a screaming banshee, ready to attack anyone who approached him, whenever he managed to escape outside. Well, I knew I had a problem when Yoda appeared, since he was interested in making the acquaintance of my banshee in tuxedo cat's clothing. Immediately, I decided it would be easier to lure the feral cat into my house than it would be to catch Godot, who would return only when he was ready to do so.

Therefore, using canned tuna catfood as bait, I held the front door open, and Yoda very slowly stuck his nose inside. When the tip of Yoda's tail eventually entered the house, I quickly shut the door behind him. And that's where Yoda stayed the entire night, right by the door, under a small table. As for Godot, he eventually returned with an attitude, since he probably thought that letting a feral cat into the house was a bad idea.

When I got up in the morning, Yoda had moved under the hutch in the dining room. So, I went about my morning routine. When I noticed that Yoda had disappeared from underneath the hutch, I called his name and got a loud response from the bedroom. Horrified, I already knew what he was doing before I reached the room. Yoda stood urinating on the green carpet at the side of the bed. I believe he was apologizing, because he just kept talking. Since it was not his fault, but mine, I waited patiently until Yoda was done. Hoping the feral cat would not freak out on me, I picked him up quickly and, holding him at arm's length, I carried him into the bathroom, where I introduced him to a litterbox. Second introductions were necessary, but he has never had an accident since that first time. And that is how Yoda became a housecat.

Has Yoda ever expressed an interest in going outside again? No. He knows life is better inside the house. Yoda is my ragdoll cat now.