Even outside FR, cats have been a big part of our life. At one point we were up to 13, after two litters appeared under our deck in consecutive years. As of today, we're down to two. Two weeks ago today our 18 year-old blonde cat had to be euthanized due to worsening chronic kidney disease. Yesterday it was our 17-year-old big ginger cat -- same story.
The survivors are the black/orange calico sister of the ginger, and a semi-feral female who entered our family through the cat door 6 or 7 years ago. She would come into the house in the middle of the night, get under the covers, and then rub herself up and down my legs. (I guess she thought we were running a cathouse!)
At the cost of a big bite on my hand, we were able to get her into a carrier and get her neutered, and she became part of the family. She still hasn't become tame, even after we brought her with us from Tempe to Tucson. During the day, you can't get within five feet of her. But thank the Lord for the night time! She no longer gets under the covers, but she will come onto the bed and demand to be petted vigorously for many minutes. Once she's had enough, she'll let you know, with a swat or a nip, and then get off the bed.
Mrs. AZLiberty is now ready to move on from these side-of-the-road cats. She wants to get another pair of purebred Tonkinese. Her first cat was a Siamese, but by the time she was ready for another one, the cat industry had transformed the Siamese into a skinny, rat-like alien, so we got a male-female pair of Tonkinese -- our best cats ever. I think we'll be making a road trip one of these days to a breeder in South Carolina.
All the cats I’ve ever had were “found” cats - I found them, or they found me, and their offspring. I miss having cats.