Almost ten years ago, we had a storm here in Oregon that was pretty substantial and will always stand out in my memory as the Storm of Surprise.

I had just let the dog out briefly. It was midnight and when Brandi came back in, on her tail was this drenched, soaking wet,long-hair black cat! I shut the door quickly so the cat wouldn’t go back in the storm. She was a matted mess just under a year old and terrified. I popped her into a cat carrier and took her the vet in the morning. She was fine-

I called her MK (Mystery Kitty) knew nothing about her except after her spay she showed me inside living wasn’t agreeable for her. So I put her the one enclosure that accesses outdoors 24/7  She’s been outside, unapproachable, inaccessible until this morning.

Because we have a new dog here- I have been making it a point as Kota learns cats are not playthings, if Kota isn’t with me, I make a ticking sound with my tongue. I use this sound when I feed- or when I approach a kitty without intent. This morning, I was feeding the clowder and making my noise and MK walked right up to me and brushed my leg! I reached down and she allowed me to pet her and play elevator butt- who knew this stray loves elevator butt!

All these years of no contact and to suddenly gain trust? It was simply amazing.