A Cat Comes Out of the Woods

The Story of Portia

 

2021 - Another Kitten Appears

Now onto 2021. It was on a Sunday, October 3rd with about 3 weeks before we would be making the long drive returning to AZ for the winter when a little kitten appeared in the backyard, but it was a little shy. It didn't dart away, but sauntered back into the woods when it made eye contact with me. It could be feral, but I had the feeling it wasn't, probably because it didn't look full grown. I left a bowl of water in case it continued to hang around. Two days later we spotted it again, but this time stood its ground, although about 30 feet away. Seemingly more confident, but more likely now really hungry. I quickly got some food together and left it. The kitten seemed to know what the bowl was all about and cautiously came over to scarf it down as I kept a distance. From that distance I could see there was no collar which was not a good sign. Coming out with additional bowls of food the cat became my instant friend and petting it became no problem! Me and Debbie thought the kitten was just adorable.

But nothing to get attached to because it might belong to someone. For us that is the best case scenario: it's someone's beloved cat and we'd be heroes for getting it back. My thought, however, is it was an abandoned kitten because of its size, but Debbie disagreed about it being a kitten because the ears weren't overly large. (Kittens have really big ears that they grow into.) She posted it to Facebook and we waited. But my heart sunk as we got no responses. The kitten hung around for the most part but by sundown it was off into the woods. The following day it was back and I marveled at how calmly and dillerately it marched out of the woods. More food and more petting and I found we could pick it up and it loved to be on our laps. After two days of nothing from Facebook (not even someone saying they'd like to take the cat) it was sitting on our laps just loving us when Debbie says, "Do you think we should keep it?" but I interpreted it as "Can we keep it?" It was a pretty crazy idea because we already had two cats and an upcoming 1800 mile drive back to AZ. Our two cats are getting old. Mystic we know exactly when it was born and she's almost 13 years old. Tuna we don't know. It was a found cat in Eau Claire and was easily 3 years old at that point, maybe more. That means it could easily be 20 years old, 17 years at an absolute minimum. So immediately we started to let the cat onto the porch, but limited it because the kitten hadn't had a vet check up as yet and didn't let the other cats to get near to the new kitten.

Debbie uses the porch to do her yoga and while the kitten was inside, she starts to play the music and the kitten literally goes berserk. It's jumping and climbing onto the screens (quite an amazing sight, really) in a desperate attempt to get out. Debbie calls to me and I quickly open the door and it finally found the exit and ran off. But this didn't deter Debbie from wanting it and the little cat came back within a couple of hours. Clearly, however, it wasn't a good sign!

A Trip to the Vet

So now it was off to the vet to see if there was a chip and get a general checkup on the "little guy." I call it that because Debbie thought it was a boy. With the decision to try to keep it we bought a carrier, but it was online and would come a few days later so for the vet trip we'd had to use Mystic's pink carrier. Fortunately, we had some prescription cat calming medicine which I put in the food so it was pretty mellow and the car ride was easy. In retrospect, it might have been good to take it without the medicine to see how it handled being in the car.

At the vets the kitten did fine. I was not surprised they failed to read a chip and the kitten got a rabies shot. They recorded the weight at just 6 pounds. The vet first said he thought it was a boy, but upon closer inspection announced it was a girl! It had ear mites (that he treated) which is not unusual for an outdoor cat, but he said otherwise it appeared to be in great health. And then the big surprise: upon examining the teeth they showed so much tartar he said it had to be at least a year old, probably a year and a half! So our very small female cat was already full grown. And somehow, someway it had survived an entire winter! It was almost unfathomable to me because just looking at the cat she seemed so helpless. The vet, however, wasn't surprised and said cats are very resourceful. Hmmm... that's pretty easy to believe. This cat just got a free medical checkup! :) The picture at the right shows the "kitten" after the vet visit.

So back home and now the real craziness begins. We now needed to keep it on the screen porch and let it into the house when it desired. And we'd have to get it settled in within 13 days as we'd be leaving for AZ. There wasn't enough time to get the cat spayed so that would have to wait until Arizona. We did ask a couple of friends if they could watch it over the winter, but nobody wanted any part of that. We set out a litter box right on the porch, but "Mittens" (the temporary name Debbie gave to the cat because of the white feet) wasn't using the litter box, but we saw no evidence that it was going anywhere else. The following day I was returning from a condo board meeting and came in through the screen porch door and thought I had plenty of time and room to get in. But Mittens found an opening and darted out and ran into the woods at unbelievable speed. My theory is it really needed to go to the bathroom pretty bad!

We Didn't Need to Buy the Carrier

Debbie was pretty sad as she says, "That's it. Mittens is never coming back!" My thought was more optimistic. I told her it will come back, but it was far from certain. Then she added, "I guess we didn't have to buy the carrier." It was later upon further reflection her comment about the carrier struck me with the sad thought that if this doesn't work out (and at this time I was nearly positive it wouldn't), that carrier would be a reminder. But now we have a new problem. If it will not use the litter box that's a deal killer. We can't take it to AZ with it trying to dart out at every opportunity and where we live in the desert we have a saying that we have no stray cats! It's true because they don't survive as there are too many predictors: coyotes, owls, hawks, snakes, etc. The whole rest of the day I found myself out on the porch and anxiously looking for the cat to return. Maybe I was wrong and it wasn't coming back. At that point I was genuinely okay if it didn't because it now seemed like a hopeless situation. But I left out water and food just in case.

I had lots of time to think about things. What is Mitten's story? Where did she come from? What were her life experiences up to this point? I then got to wondering what is going through the mind of a stray cat as they approach a house. Sure, at a minimum they're looking for food and water. It has to be a scary experience and they must have some sense of trust. Stray cats that have no trust will simply be feral, destined to live outside. But a stray must want to be with a human. Mittens seemed to fit that characterization, but then why has this perfectly adorable and lovable cat not already been adopted? Is it simply that it can't use a litter box so at best must be mostly an outdoor cat? It was a depressing thought.

I wondered where did Mittens go? She must have some safe place, and where did she sleep? How would she stay out of rain? And what would happen when winter arrived? If we lived there year round, we could be sure she had food and we'd make a space for her to sleep. I was relieved when the next day Mittens was back, but not keen on coming into the porch and wouldn't. So I continued to leave food outside and we made two spots for it to sleep and/or get out of the rain.

I was now really thinking there is no way we're taking the cat. We'll be left with only two options: let it stay out there or try to retrieve it and turn it in to the Jefferson County Humane Society where I was sure the odds were that no one would want this cat, adorable as it is, that won't use a liter box. Each day I would see her march out of the woods and it brought a smile to my face every time. But she didn't want to come into the porch. Then on the third day it rained pretty heavily and now Mittens was standing at the porch door and looking so sad to me because she was all wet. Anytime when I opened the door previously she would only enter very cautiously so I'd have to be patient. But not this time. I opened the door and she came right in and immediately rubbed herself against my legs back and forth several times and just seemed so affectionate. I truly believe she now knew the porch meant staying dry, getting food, and getting pet. At that moment I knew it was our cat and she'd never go away permanently. She had chosen us!

Portia the Porch Cat

But had we really chosen her? It was still unclear because what about the litter box? While Mittens was gone, Debbie talked to a good friend who lives on a farmette and has lots of experience with both indoor and outdoor cats about our situation. She suggested throwing in some dirt with the litter. It was like magic. Mittens started using the litter box immediately and then it was a simple matter to start removing the dirt. This was a huge hurdle cleared, but one big one remained. Like Stonks the year before, Tuna did fine but Mystic was not happy with the new cat, hissing at Mittens whenever she got close. Mittens would just recoil and just wanted to get away. It was so bad she didn't want to come into the house. She would often sit at the door looking in, but when I opened it she'd just sit there. When she would come in now and then to explore, she was jumpy, always at the ready to dash back onto the safety of the porch. I wasn't happy that we didn't have enough time for her to adjust. I had nightmares about the upcoming road trip. I wished we could have had more time to get it acclimated to the house, the car, and especially the other cats. But you know the saying, "It is what it is." Debbie thought the cat needed a better name and finally came up with Portia because she called it a "Porch Cat."

At this point we have only a week to go and I'm now spending a lot of time with Portia and she's very comfortable with me. It's definitely a great "Porch Cat" but is it a good indoor cat? It was now late in October and the nights getting really cold so I didn't want to leave the patio door open. This was not going nearly well enough for me to have any comfort and in fact it was considerable discomfort. It liked resting and sleeping on a padded patio chair, so I brought one in very near the door and we brought up the litter box from the basement so it had one both on the porch and just inside. But Mystic was still being downright hostile to little Portia and I had a lot of sleepless nights continually up and checking on her. She would come in now and then to explore, but she was always ready at an instant to dash back out to the porch which was her safe place.  We would have loved if she would jump up onto our bed, but that was not happening. Maybe that would never happen. The situation now seemed hopeless. With each passing day I was more convinced either we won't be able to take her, or the car ride to AZ will be a ride thru hell. And then how will it go when we arrive in Arizona? It absolutely cannot go outside and the cats all have to get along! What kept stirring in my mind were two bad possibilities: either we let her back out to fend for itself knowing that winter was approaching or taking it to the humane society where more than likely it would be put down. So I rationalized that with us she had a chance so we could give her a much better life than she would have otherwise and probably life itself. I finally realized how attached I'd become to Portia and she seemed to be attached to me. Exactly how attached would now be tested on a 1800 mile drive.

Because I was so confident Portia wouldn't run away for good, several times I tried opening the screen porch door to see if she'd dart out to freedom. She would approach with caution, but each time she wouldn't leave. And with each time I tried this I got to feeling better and better that she wouldn't try to flee both during the trip and when we were finally in Arizona.

Ready or Not, Here We Go

Before the drive Debbie used the calming drugs to give to Mystic and Portia. Mystic needs the the drugs because it is never happy about the trip. It can sense we're going by the boxes and on the morning we leave, gathering Mystic is always an adventure as it hides. It has an uncanny ability to tell we're about to leave and go on a car ride. Then in the car it meows loudly, sometimes half way through Iowa before she settles down. Tuna doesn't need the calming drugs, but has a prescription of his own because he gets car sick! But getting them to eat their own food just can't be controlled and so Tuna got the calming medicine as well.

As we're about to leave my anxiety is off the charts wondering and fearing what was coming. We got the cats into their carriers with relative ease and got them into the car and with me driving it all starts off well. As soon as we hit the freeway we always let the cats out of their carriers and they get the run of the van. Debbie lets Tuna and Mystic out, but with Portia she decided it was best to keep her in the carrier and put it on her lap. Portia is sleepy and Debbie is euphoric that she was first petting it in the carrier and then when it came out she was just lying on her lap. It just kept getting better. She eventually went exploring around the van and Mystic couldn't help but behave because she was underneath the blanket that Debbie set up. (All the travel boxes are underneath.) She enjoyed looking at the other cars and trucks and seemed at ease. She occasionally came up to eat some kibble and use the litter box. So the first travel day in the van went better than I could have ever imagined. Portia seems to be a much better traveler than the other two cats!

We get to our first planned stop which was outside of Kansas City at a LaQuinta which we always use because they're pet friendly. But staying overnight at a hotel with the cats has its challenges. First you have to get the cats into their carriers and then move their litter box from the car, their food, and an assortment of toys. Mystic has always been trouble in this department, but in the last two years seems to know what's going on and often just gets into her carrier when the car stops. I always do the check in while Debbie gets the cats rounded up. If she's having difficulty I will have to help, but I come out and she has all three in their carriers!

Portia the Hotel Room Cat

So now we find out how Portia fares in the hotel room. I know Debbie shared my considerable anxiety about this because she thought we should get two hotel rooms! That way Portia could be separated and things would probably go much better and we certainly would get a better nights sleep. But my feeling was we should try because they all have to be together eventually. Once again it goes better than I could have ever imagined. Portia actually hopped up on the bed, played with some of Debbie's yarn and we laughed as it was enamored with the TV and would watch it! I almost couldn't believe how well this was going and for the very first time I felt things were really going to be okay, even when we got to Arizona. We got a very good nights sleep.

I wasn't looking forward to the next morning (the start of day two) as there was a problem with the bed. We are experienced with trouble with Mystic because if she can get underneath the bed she can be nearly impossible to capture and on one occasion we had to disassemble the bed to retrieve her. She inherently knows when we are about leave and can disappear underneath. We've gotten good with experience because even though there is a wood frame around the bottom, there are two openings at the headboard that Mystic can get through and into and invariably the netting is torn so she can get up into that area. We now know this and can thwart Mystic by placing towels there to stop her. But at this LaQuinta they had a new base and it was far from perfect. Portia had no difficulty getting underneath from multiple areas and then Mystic joined her. So on the good front the two were being fraidy-cats together. On the bad front it was going to be an adventure getting them out of there in the morning so we can leave. Sure enough, neither were coming out so we had no choice but to disassemble the bed so we could retrieve them.

But the rest of the day went great although this was the worst day as far as scenery as most of Kansas is boring and that continues through the pan handles of Oklahoma and Texas. And once again the cats traveled well and especially Portia. Our final stop was in Albuquerque at another LaQuinta and I was relieved that the cats simply couldn't get underneath the bed. They found an alternative underneath a reclining chair, but that was easy as all I had to do was tip it over when the time came to round them up. Yeah, we're herding cats!

Albuquerque to Phoenix is the shortest segment of the trip and it went without incident, but Portia was now feeling a lot more free and discovered she could come up from my left while I was driving to be close to me, wanting to sit right on the console. I didn't have a problem with that but it made Debbie too nervous. It didn't deter Portia who would go on to try it several more times!

We got to our house by 3:00PM. Portia seemed to do great and think the reason is the smells in the house are those of Tuna and Mystic. But one problem remained. Would it try to dart out of the house? We do have self-closing doors (every door!) because Tuna always wants to get out. Mystic is afraid of the outside so no problem. So far so good. It doesn't seem to be keen to get out, but does like to look out.

At Home in Arizona

So everything's fine and the trip was thankfully anti-climatic. And it goes well in the house in Arizona. Portia settles in pretty well, but there's still an issue with Mystic being outright mean to her. Therefore, I'm Portia's protector and let Mystic know that though she thinks she's the boss of Portia, I'm the boss. Portia eventually found unlikely refuge and safety in the drawer of our dryer! Shown at the left with the drawer open, she's so small she can get behind the washer/dryer and then hop into the closed dryer drawer as it had enough towels to make it very comfortable. Of course, we've made it better for her.

Reflecting on how well it had all gone makes me realize that it did because Portia is not a diva. She somehow managed out in the wild and somehow survived a Wisconsin winter. No matter what happens now she's experienced much worse.

Nothing could go wrong from here, right?

 

A Visit to the Vet

Now because of the timing of things Debbie couldn't get an appointment to get Portia fixed while we were still in Wisconsin. And unfortunately all the vets are extremely busy because a lot of people got pets during the pandemic. She couldn't get an appointment until nearly Thanksgiving and then missed the appointment because her Google calendar had the wrong timezone and the appointment was 1 hour before she thought. That was another nearly 3 week delay. They don't fix a cat until it's received a general checkup and unfortunately Portia went into heat! Fortunately she has a pretty quiet meow, but it wasn't pleasant for her, and certainly not for us. But she irritates Tuna because he's a male, but as he was neutered so has no interest.

When we finally got her to the vet (Dr. Amanda Likewise) all was going well. Even though she was not given calming medicine, she did great in the office. Again, more proof this cat is not a diva. Her weight was now 7 pounds, a full pound above when she came to us. Then the vet got a preliminary test back that showed she was positive for FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. This is just like HIV in humans as it's an autoimmune disease (like AIDS), but it takes longer for symptoms to appear: about 5 years. The vet wasn't happy with part of the procedure and repeated the test, but it, sadly, was also positive. Dr. Likewise went through the risks to the other cats and said Portia's life will be shortened which she said it might only live 12 years with good care. She was totally prepared to take the cat right then and there if we simply gave the word. I was frankly stunned by this and it was surreal. But Debbie and I hardly had to discuss it. Portia had been with us for already too long and our other two cats were fairly old so in the worst case scenario if she did pass the disease, it wouldn't be that bad. And any other scenario would not go well for Portia. We could give her a much better life than she would have otherwise. And in this instance, we really were giving the gift of life because I couldn't see anyone else taking the cat with this disease and it would almost certainly be put down. Only after our decision did the vet say they thought we had made the right decision, but obviously didn't want to sway us either way. As I ponder this after the fact, I have to believe that is their training for how to act in situations like this.

With this knowledge we now know had we chose in WI to take Portia to the Human Society, she would have almost certainly been put down. So Portia not only chose us, she chose wisely!

There are only two ways a cat can get this disease. First, from a fight with an infected cat that draws blood. But I think it's the second way that got Portia: she was born with it so it was passed by her mother. This leads me to an interesting theory I have about her. I asked before how did the cat live throughout an entire winter? The simplest explanation is that she came from that same farm as Stonks. But that owner had no attachment to the cat whatsoever and even if she saw the Facebook posting, she wouldn't want to let on that it was from their farm. So this very little cat wouldn't have fared well at the farm and eventually walked away.

Portia's first Christmas with Gene and Debbie - 2021. Hopefully many many more.

And ... comically:

Hi! I'm Portia.
3 years ago I lived in the woods and hunted for my meals.
Now I have two passive incomes, my own house, and a personal chef.
Follow me for financial advice.

My Cat

Portia is "my cat" in two ways. The first is a bit of a technicality. In my life with my parents there were 6 cats: Herbie, Little Herbie, Baby, Louie, Earl, and Tansey. And when I married Debbie, she already had 2: Tuna and Mystic. But I had no say-so in the decision to get any of these cats. Portia is the first one.

But she is "my cat" in the traditional sense in that she has totally bonded with me. And it should go without saying after all I've written here I have totally bonded with Portia. Here are the bonding traits for Portia:

• Exposes her tummy - This is big sign that a cat trusts you. She not only does this, but genuinely likes me to pet it. A typical cat, however, will only allow so many strokes and then let you know that any more are unwelcome. Portia almost never tires of this and will fall asleep if I can continue long enough.
• Headbutts and rub their face on you - Portia does this a lot.
• Purring - This is the sound of contentment. Portia is an extremely quiet purr. I often have to put my head right up to here to hear it.
• Sleeping near you - Portia used to only do this when Debbie wasn't near, but now she does, often sleeping between my legs. But I've noticed she only tends to do this if it isn't hot.
• Meowing - She doesn't do this a lot, but does it when she wants my attention.
• Greeting at the door - She does this and also always greets me in the morning.
• Follows - Portia will do this often. She'll also come when I start playing the piano.
• Leads - Portia will do this in WI if the porch door is closed or if she wants to be fed. She also likes to go down in the basement.

Portia - The Traveling Cat

With our homes in Wisconsin and Arizona we drive back and forth twice a year. Usually we go about the third week in October and return in late April or very early May. But because of my prostate cancer surgery needing to be done in Wisconsin in January of 2023, we took an extra round trip. So for Portia it's already been 8 long drives (as of May/2024), staying overnight 2 times per one-way trip. She continues to be our best traveler. Not too happy about getting into the carrier, but she settles down pretty fast.

Debbie will get Portia to occasionally sit on her lap while I'm driving, but it is challenging because Tuna will sit in the lap of person in the passenger seat for most of the trip. He'll only relinquish the spot when he needs to go to the litter box or to get a bit of kibble.

She especially likes the "egg" which we got from Bill because Stonks wouldn't use it. Actually, Tuna and Mystic don't use it either so it's really become Portia's. We have it in the car and she spends a lot of time there.

Portia - Still the Porch Cat

When we get back to Wisconsin, Portia again becomes a porch cat as it's her favorite place. She can be out there for hours just looking toward the woods as there's always something interesting for her to see. I have to wonder what she's thinking. Does she remember being out in those woods? Does she wish she could go back there, even if it's only for a short look? Of course I can't know for sure, but my guess is no. My worries about her possibly trying to run out never materialized. However, one thing that makes me think she does remember some things is that she doesn't like the rain, even though she's on a dry porch. And this is the first cat I've encountered who's not really afraid of a vacuum cleaner! Who knows how many times she had to endure the rain and sometimes the cold. But I have noticed over time she's getting less afraid of bad weather.

She also sleeps out there, both day and night. But she'll come every now and then and almost always if she spots me in the kitchen. When we first arrived with Portia in Arizona for the first time, for at least a month after when she would see me she'd be very excited as she would go up on her hind legs, and one very memorable time she actually got airborne. I was a little sad when that stopped, but in retrospect I think she had a lot of anxiety about being in a strange place and I was her comfort.

In our Wisconsin bedroom we a high dresser next to a window. It sits beside a very tall dresser that Mystic claimed as her own as Debbie was storing a quilt which was comfortable for lying. And Mystic has always liked high places so she's been called our mountain lion. Tuna likes cubby holes and dark places so he's called a cave lion. When we first moved in Mystic was still leaping fairly well onto the low dresser so she could then hop up to her high perch.

Now with Portia she will hop up so she can look out that window, even occasionally jumping up to the tall dresser. But Portia has no difficulty and she jumps quietly. On the other hand, the once agile Mystic was incredibly loud in comparison and it was beginning to sound like she was hurting herself getting up. So Debbie got the idea of setting up a couple of shelves to act as stairs.

Debbie's sleep teeshirt.

 

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