I KNEW it was too good to be true when Athena started to hang out with us, when she comes running to me when she hears the jangles of the keys, when she sits purring on our floor begging us to rub her belly and every elsewhere on her fluffy black coat with a twinge of orange tabby pattern.
I don’t think it wouldn’t have been a big deal if the manager lady found Athena napping on the wicker chair, but the food and water bowls set the woman off.
According to the girls, the lady lost her shit and threatened eviction if the girls don’t get rid of the cat in 24 hours, traumatized the hell out of one of the housemates. Mind you, the cat is not even inside the house.
At the prospect of sending her to a local shelter, we have a mental picture of this roaming garden kitty sitting miserable in a pen, possibly waiting to be put down. We panicked.
I contacted my fellow cat lovers and did a quick research, and managed to find the girls some contact info for cat rescues and no-kill shelters in the area.  But I am hoping to find someone who would want to take her home right away. (Anyone? Anyone?)
Before I left to go to dinner tonight, I stopped over at the fence. Athena came trotting over, meowing. Not a second after she “marked” me, she was purring. I damn near cried. I rubbed her all over and even hugged her goodbye.
Just in case tomorrow never comes.
Only if we have our own backyard to keep her. The timing is soooo off for this clandestine meeting. She is perfect. Well, a little nutty but understandable for a cat who has been outside on her own. But we love her for that too.
I already miss the damned cat. She’s not even mine, really. I think Brandon is dealing with this loss in his own way too.
I hope that I get to see her one last time before she leaves permanently.