Monday evening and into the night were tough with HP. She clearly wanted more than her room. Since we all were up most of that night I prayed, asking for wisdom. This situation with HP, Buddy and me in the present state could not coexist much longer. Buddy had started acting out on her displeasure, just think clean up on aisle 2. When I woke up Tuesday morning I knew she needed to get back with her family and hope that the immediate rush of first seeing her family would diminish as it can happen at family reunions, the love of first sight diminishes occurs and family begins to rub one another the wrong way. I felt pretty good about the reunion because I put HP in the garage twice on Monday with the door down, to do a sip and see. Oh my Lord what a time! Except on the second meet and greet, Biggio snubbed HP.
Tuesday morning after getting Buddy treated and settled in for a morning nap, I got HP and we came downstairs. She ate a little bit of food and then began the pacing at the windows after seeing and hearing her family. I picked her up, checked her incision, talked to her a bit, gave her a lot of loving and proceeded to the garage. All the fam was there except for Bobbsey and he has been tomming around at night and comes in late morning to sleep it off. I placed HP on the floor. She ran toward the fam and they toward her. The meowing was that low guttural kind that ends up on a high note, kind of like chirping. Noses were being touched. Junior and Junioretta rubbed against HP, so happy to see her. The previously snubber, Biggio, greeted HP with such happiness. Even stately Radley, came over to say hi before going to the food bowls. Baby, well Baby was extremely happy to see HP and hopped around the group only to work her way in and quickly, she backed out and hopped and repeated several times. HP went toward the open part of the garage door and looked out. It was raining, the perfect backdrop to this narrative. She came over to me by the back steps and rubbed around my legs, looked up and did her little, light meow and sauntered back to her family for the second round of greetings. I came back into the house and an immense peace overwhelmed me. No matter what the future holds for her living conditions I knew that God had answered my prayer asking for wisdom in this situation. I texted a couple of friends previously, letting them know my gut feeling of letting HP outdoors, beyond being on the front or back porch. My friend Bev had texted me Monday morning, encouraging me and giving some wise advice on the HP situation that matched up to my thoughts exactly. Then the vet office called Monday afternoon checking in on HP. We talked a bit about the Buddy/HP situation and they confirmed my thoughts on Buddy being so old and fragile. One good fight and her left hip that is barely holding together could mean the new decision to be made about her life. I cannot do that to her after all these years. She is a cranky and feisty one but when I was going through the hardest times with heart issues, she rarely left my side. Knee replacements, she was there attending.
I had a 9:00 am haircut appointment, so I had to move on and finish getting ready. When I left, I went out the front door and into the rain cause I didn't need heartstrings pulled. Haircut and then a quick trip to The Fresh Market and Publix. Came home, and there was HP in the garage with family surrounding her in the warmth of old sweaters and flannel jammies. I went about getting things in before the heavens opened once more, cause it would be a heavy rain. The afternoon brought clearing and a wee bit of sunshine, St Patty's Day today, and the Feral Fam came into the yard, chasing one another and playing. Since they hadn't received treats that morning, I went out with some and they all came running to the back door. HP was in the back of the group and like always, made her way through to come onto the back porch. She ate a few treats and then looked at me like, she was ready to go back outside. So, she went out. After supper she and the Fam went out across and beyond Mary Joyce's house. It took everything within me not to go outside and try to coax them back with treats. Before turning dark, a few of the Fam were playing on the driveway, but not HP. I went to bed later with a prayer for HP and her safety.
This morning, at treat time, Junior and one of the Boos were waiting on the step. Once they heard the ring of the backdoor opening, they came a running...no HP sighting. Running low on treats, I went out to the garage to get another container...no HP. When I went back out there she was sitting in the back of the group, she saw me and began making her way to the open door and onto the porch for her private snack. She stayed a bit, got up on the daybed for her morning grooming. A bit later, she looked into the back door window and when I came out, I checked her incision, looking good, and she sat on my lap for a minute or two. Then she went to the screen door, and I let her out. It is important to establish our regular routine and for her to trust me, that I will let her out, so she doesn't feel trapped. I get every indication that she will come back into the house.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Buddy is extremely happy to be the one, all attention directed and no sharing, cat. She keeps going into the two rooms HP was in to check for interlopers. I am slowly putting the rooms back in order, you know just in case, the future was now instead of a journey for HP.
Being a feral cat mom is sometimes so difficult and yet at other times it seems so easy. HP was outside, surviving, before her surgery. She might be so much more happy without a lot of attention and then left behind to raise the brood. These cats are somewhat trained in knowing feeding and treat times. I want to get all of them fixed but the rest will not be getting the Taj Mahal surgery, they'll be going to the discount snip and clip clinic.
HP just came running down to the back porch steps and wanted in again. She was inside briefly to snack and eat, some grooming and then back out to the fam. This might be her way of testing me and I want to pass.
Thank you all for encouragement during this past week. Thank you for being interested and caring for these little ones that are now big ones. More adventures to write about later but for now I wanted to catch you up on the happenings.
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