Karnak Street Kats

Irene and her three kittens were dumped on my front porch. The kittens were almost as big as she, but still nursing. I immediately separated the kittens from her, so she could dry up before being spayed. Irene seemed relieved. She is a petite, gray and white cat with beautiful yellow-green eyes. While she was in the house, I had no problem handling her, and soon enough, she was spayed. Again, she seemed to be adjusting to being a house cat.

One morning that changed. As I was letting the boys out, Irene went too. I followed her, but she climbed the nearest tree and would not come down. I returned to my morning chores sure that Irene had been with us long enough that she would not stray. I was only half right. She did cross the street to a neighboring business in an old, two story house where she climbed the outside steps to the second floor. I retrieved her later in the day. She did not enjoy being picked up; she batted my glasses off with a hiss. I held on and we came to an understanding. If I picked her up, she would let me take her home.

Soon, a daily ritual was established. Irene went to work in the morning at the business and allowed me to bring her home in the evening. One day, I headed out to retrieve her a little earlier than usual and encountered a worker at the business. He was astounded to see Irene in my arms.

"We all thought she was a stray with no home. We call her Gypsy."

I assured him that she was a pet that spent every night indoors and that her name was Irene. She simply liked their building better than her home during the day. ( I suspect my outdoor boys have something to do with that. ) He was overjoyed to know she had a home.

Since then, I have discovered that Irene has several friends at the business. Some even bring her treats. None can pick her up. Irene can be a bit of a handful.

Since it is winter, Irene spends less time outdoors. She comes home on her own, enters the house through my office ( I work out of my home), not the front door, and relaxes on my bed. She does seem to prefer to be associated with business wherever she is.

For more about Irene, click here.