It’s been a while since I posted on our little feral cat. We started feeding him when my wife saw him digging in some garbage in our neighborhood in Florida. For two years, we fed this standoffish kitty kat. When we moved to North Carolina, we felt like we had a responsibility to take him with us. So, we trapped him, took him to the local vet, and got all his required shots.
He wasn’t very happy about that. And I have the scars on my arms to prove it!
Anyway, we got him up here to North Carolina and started by placing him in our upstairs guest bathroom. After a while, we left the door open at night, and our little feral guest would come out and explore, eating the treats we left for him around the condo.
The time came when we left the bathroom door open all the time and installed a cat door in our downstairs window. Upon discovering this access to the great outdoors, our grey ghost disappeared licitly split. But he came back to eat. And as the cold north winds began to blow, this little Florida cat began to spend more time indoors on the cat tower we purchased.
Still, he remained aloof. No petting, swiping at us when we placed his cat food on the kitchen floor, and hissing when we got too close.
We were okay with that. And this was an arrangement we assumed would continue for the rest of our days living with our little Wraith.
Wraith. That was our original name for this skinny ghost of a cat.
However, in time, as Wraith dined on plenty of five-star cat food, he began to fill out. And I gotta tell you, he is one healthy, sleek-looking feline. His name is now Wrai.
Then the Christmas holidays came, and with them, Dante. Dante is our daughter, Mary’s dog. He is BIG. In spite of his size, he is a wimp. This is probably because he is a rescue dog who was abused as a puppy.
But Wraith wasn’t in on that. He spent most of the cold Christmas holidays outside. We placed his bowl on the window seal, and occasionally, it would disappear. But not always. We were a little worried about him.
A few days after everyone left, Wrai showed back up and started hanging out again.
Not long afterward, Sherri spent a few days in Asheville with our granddaughter.
One night, alone in the condo, Wrai came up to me and let out a “meow” that seemed to say, “I like you.” I bent over, fully expecting to be clawed for my attempt to pet him. Imagine my surprise when he relished the contact from his condo-mate!
The next morning I was in my study when, suddenly, Wrai jumped up in my lap and insisted that I pet him. And the purrs that came from that cat were overwhelming.
Today, Wrai follows me around everywhere I go. For some reason, he has bonded primarily with me. Every evening when I sit down in my easy chair, there is Wrai waiting. He jumps up expecting his evening massage.
He’s a different cat from the little fella we started feeding in Florida. He trusts us. He loves us. He enjoys being with us.
It took time and patience on our part. Plenty of blood and scars. But that was the price to see Wraith become Wrai. He is now our cat, and we are his . . . well, whatever we are!
The picture with this post is Wrai on the headboard of our bed this morning. Sherri is back in Asheville, and after pouring my coffee, and heading upstairs for some reading and writing in bed, I looked up to see that Wrai had followed me. He is laying at my feet as I write these words. And I must tell you that I delight in this little kitty.
God delights in you and me. Even when we claw at his Divine hand as he cares for and watches over us, God delights in us. He knows that, like Wraith, there is in all of us a “Wrai” waiting to emerge, to recognize and rejoice in his patience as we become the people he is calling us to be.
In Christ,
Dan
You can check out my podcasts at Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
That is an amazing story! Even James Herriot didn't manage to tame his feral cats.