We have a designer cat named Larisa. She's a hypoallergenic Siberian Forest cat, a former breeding queen, seven years old. She came to live with us two years ago this June, after bearing five litters of kittens for her previous owner. When she moved in, she wouldn't let us touch her for 62 days. Even as she adjusted to us, I wondered if she felt at home or whether she thought she was just visiting.
Last night I got my answer.
Art and I came home from a day at a Habitat build, and Larisa didn't come to the door to greet us as she usually does. An hour later neither of us had seen her, so I went looking. She was behind a chair in the spare bedroom, barely moving. I thought she was sick, but her food dish was empty. I called her to me. She moved to the other side of the chair. I came out into the living area and waited. Visions of a large vet bill and a delayed road trip floated through my mind.
Larisa appeared half an hour later, but she was very jumpy. She startled at any sound. I wondered if there had been a thunderstorm while we were gone. She finally found a spot near Art for a nap, but it was near his feet rather than at any accustomed places.
Then Art looked up from his paper and saw a strange cat in the hallway. We had a visitor!
He got the broom and chased the stranger into the spare room where it hid under the bed. Larisa watched the action from the hallway. Fifteen minutes later the spare cat tore out of the guestroom, and, hissing, Larisa chased it across the house and out the back door into the night.
Ten minutes later our Larisa was back. She went to her food dish and ate what I'd put out. Then she lay by the back door, guarding the entrance, until we went to bed.
I guess she feels at home now. And apparently there's no room for another cat in this household.
24 comments:
I enjoyed this story. Thanks Art for encouraging her to tell it.
Nice. She feels at home which is a good thing for any creature.
I have never heard of a Siberian Forest Cat. How in the world did the intruder (spare cat) get inside? Poor Larisa thought she was being demoted. Now she'll be a guard cat.
Larisa has a cat door. I'm guessing the intruder followed her in, or found its way in.
Ah, finally an answer to the dilemma. Larisa needed to find her proper place in that household. Are you shutting down the cat door?
Cats are strange and wonderful creatures. Great story!
Great story! So glad Larisa is on duty!
Wow, I guess she is settled in well and truly, and she is a beauty. Are they related to Norwegian Forest cats?
I love the name of her type of cat and Larisa itself is such a pretty name. It matches her beauty. I'm glad you had an opportunity to know just how much she loves her home. Without additional cats.
Poor Larisa. I'm glad she feels safe and secure again. This was a great story.
It is indeed a wonderful story. I'm glad you now know that Larisa sees herself as the queen of the house!
I thought we had an intruder in our house too. I came home the other day and noticed that there was a new roll of toilet paper hanging in the bathroom. I am the only person in this house who has developed the necessary skill to change an empty toilet roll, and I didn't change it. The mystery has not yet been solved.
Loved your story! Cats communicate in their own strange ways. I'm glad Larisa feels she's in charge and home at last!
Great story. I remember the "barren" days.
Designer cat indeed! great story.
Whale
Nice to have them in the guest room, but hoping they don't come back. This is wild to have happen.
Cute story. The only cat I ever had came in uninvited as well ... but she obviously had no owner (or didn't have an owner anymore) and we felt sorry for her, and started feeding her, and pretty soon she'd moved in and made the place her own.
I'm not a real cat person, but I do admire their instincts.
What a great story! She's a beautiful cat. I'm sure it's just a matter of time now before you're wishing she'd give you some space.
That's cool! To think that the other cat came in and ate her food. She was just trying to tell you that there was an intruder in the house. She's beautiful!
Oh, I just loved this story! I love when pets nominate themselves as our "protectors" and "stand guard!" Larisa truly is feeling at home, it would appear! Trixie, my dog, has no such instincts. When danger threatens (thunderstorms or an approaching bigger dog), she hops up on my lap. Only then, when she knows she is safe, does she begin her threatening "go away!" bark!! Sigh!
We have a feral cat who is stalking our neighbourhood and spooking our own cat Scout. It's an anxious time as we sort through how to handle this night time marauder. You have a beautiful friend there.
Ah, your comment answered my first question of how the heck another cat just happened inside. Heehee, she was guarding her own domain! So cute!
When I read this post, I thought, "What a great story!" Well apparently so did everybody else! Could it be this is content for an upcoming book? =)
That would have scared the heck out of me finding a stray cat in the hallway. Quick thinking there Art. Poor Larisa....glad she found you. I truly think our pets pick us...even though we think it's the other way around.
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