Meet the Cat

My parents also sort of have a cat.  He doesn't have a name.  Well, unless you count, "Kitty, kitty, kitty..."

They got him through a rescue organization that helps feral cats.  The idea was to keep the rodent population down.

They actually got two kittens to start with and neither was truly feral.  They went through a long process to try to get the kittens to feel attached to the property and to stick around.  One of the two disappeared, but this little guy still comes around every evening looking for the little bit of food my mom gives him.  In return, he leaves dead rats on their porch occasionally.  So I guess mission accomplished.  (Of course, he also leaves lizards sometimes, which my parents would rather stayed alive. Guess you can't win 'em all. Hopefully the combined effect of the bad things he kills and the bad things he scares off with his smell is a net positive.)

The cat is funny.  It meows and meows and meows at you like he's begging for you to pay attention to him and come bring him food.  But if you walk in his general vicinity,  he switches to hissing without warning.

Fickle, fickle cat... I'm not much of a pet person in general, but I just REALLY don't get cats.  Thank goodness I'm allergic so I don't have to have that fight with my kids!