They told us it couldn't be done but we did it anyway and the rewards are without measure. We first saw Tess in the street sometime in the spring of '97. She was a young small black cat that looked remarkably like Molly. I was drawn to her immediately and tried in vain to get her to come to me. She was scared and would take off any time we tried to talk to her. Dean scared her more than I which led us to believe that she had probably been harassed by a male at some point. She was obviously a stray and my heart just broke every time I saw her. Then one day in July we found her in our yard and while she ran under a piece of board that was laying against the house, she didn't take off, just watched us warily. I went and got her a bowl of food and milk and put it in the yard. We all (Dean and his brother-in-law had been working in the yard) backed off and went into the house. As soon as the coast was clear, she hit the milk and devoured it and then the food. That started it.
Every day we put food and milk out for her and every day she hit the milk first and then would eat. I gradually moved the food onto the porch and we would watch her from inside the door. Then I started sitting on the porch swing and she let me as long as I didn't move a muscle. Then one day, to our great surprise, Tess showed up with a tiny kitten and they both ate and drank. I contacted Alley Cat Allies and our vet and they felt that we had a pretty good chance of bringing in the baby but that the mom might not be an option. I refused to accept that. We finally caught the baby at the end of September, using a regular cat carrier and transported her immediately to the vet. She was healthy with no problems, not even fleas! It took a little more for Tess. We borrowed a humane trap from Alley Cat Allies and finally trapped her with a little fresh tuna on November 6th. She also checked out healthy, but the prognosis for keeping her as an inside cat wasn't good according to everyone else.
But we were determined and though it took a long time, we were finally able to pet her. We still can't pick her up but that's all we can't do and I believe it's only a matter of time before we cross that barrier too. She can't get enough pets. She touches heads with us and begs for attention. And when I get out the little laser pointer, she goes nuts. All I have to do is pick it up and she's there. Kitty ESP? And, like Punkin, she loves to be petted while she eats. What a blessing she is.
