STELLA

So this cat, it's been hanging around the neighborhood. For quite a while. She seems to be making her way down the block, spending a few days with one family and then making up to another family further down the street for  the next few days and so on.  Then she arrived in our yard and never really left. The kids saw her and instantly fell in love. They named her Stella Luna, after that story about the little black bat. They went to our neighbors on the south all in a panic, wanting them to come check out the kitty and make sure it was healthy becasue "you guys have a cat and my mom doesn't really know about cats." Ben even headed outside just after 6am one morning to lay with the kitty who had found a resting spot on the zipline platform.....

Stella spent a few nights-and days- in our house when the kids couldn't stand to leave her outside. She was such a sweet cat and loved to be loved. Ben hauled her all over, never leaving her alone for even a second, and she never made a fuss. Even during "bath time."

Stella, wet and wrapped in toilet paper after Ben gave her a bath

Olivia absolutely adored this cat and I think the feeling was mutual. Stella often slept under Olivia's bed during the day and Livi was happy to share her bed pillow with the kitty at night. 

Even Chris was a sucker for this cat from the very first night when we let it in the kitchen and it laid and rolled around and purred in his lap. I agreed that this was one of the prettiest cats I had ever seen, but I was still very allergic and really not wanting another pet. Everyday I was asked if we could "get a collar," "keep her," and "make her ours." Just like with the dog, my ability to say no was crumbling. I told the kids we would take it to the vet, see if she was chipped, and then we we would put up some BLACK CAT FOUND signs. We could keep her until her owners came for her.....

According to the vet, she was a young cat, declawed and well cared for. Probably an inside cat that had escaped and run away. But there was no chip to be found.... and no one ever called to claim her. I wasn't totally sure that someone would, it just bought  some time to make a decision. That actually got a little easier, since both Olivia and Ben became obviously allergic to her over the next few weeks. And Stella wasn't eating, anything that we were feeding her anyway. We watched her kill numerous mice in mere seconds so  she certainly wasn't going hungry. We decided that she could stay, as long as she lived outside. She seemed most happy there. Everytime we brought her in, unless it was time for her to start her all-day long nap, she would meow and pace at the front door. Maybe it was the large black lump of a dog that paid her no attention that was bothersome, we weren't sure. But she would be fine out in the yard. For a while...

We left for vacation for a two weeks and when we got home, she was gone. The kids were heartbroken. I was a little worried, too, thinking maybe something had happened to her with all the extreme heat we were having. I had heard that Wayside Waifs, a no-kill shelter, had picked up 1500 cats in the last week and saved them from the heat. I actually got online to look for her and I swear, five of those cats could have been Stella! I felt sorry for the kids but I  certainly was not going to try my luck and hopefully buy back the cat who my kids were allergic to. With time, I figured, they would move on and forget about her. I did however promise them that I would check with our neighbors on the north, who also frequently saw Stella, to see if they knew what had happened to her.

A while later, I saw Jim working out in his yard and remembered Stella. They are a cute older couple and when I asked him if he had any idea where that black cat had gone, he said, "Yeah, the wife's got it in the house. She took it in, it's been to the vet and had a haircut too. She loves it." Total and complete elation! Stella was okay. And happy. And not in my house! I told the kids the minute they came home from school and they were really excited, too. They can visit her anytime they want to, right next door! And we all lived happily ever after. The End.