Betty

About 2 weeks ago Stephen and I adopted a feral, that’s wild, cat. Her name is Betty. With some help from Lindsay McIntire and my soft spot for sad animals, I captured the little beast from the Second Story Sound Studio where the Bridge Band is recording their second album (yay.)

The poor little creature was hiding behind a tire afraid to move and trying to stay out of the cold. She was not allow to stay there inside, but I could not bear the thought of her starving to death so I scooped her into my cat carrier and took her to the vet. She is healthy and very cute. She has huge black eyes and this wig-shaped black fur on her head and a tiny black mouth. She looks like Betty Davis, or Betty Boop…hence her name Betty. Stephen voted for Marilyn Manson but that was not really the direction I was going for. I cannot include a picture because she only comes out in the dark when we’re not there.

So she is not a friendly stray, she is completely wild. I have been reading about how to socialize wild animals. I’m not sure if this skill will really be one for the resume but it amuses me. For instance, you’re not supposed to make eye contact with scardy cats like this. She is so terrified of me that she shakes when I come near her. So I come in at the same time everyday like Anthony Hopkins in “Remains of the Day” and I feed her a lot so she’ll like me. (She is a piggy) I also leave NPR on all the time so she will get used to the sound of human voices, and she sleeps with one of my tee shirts so she’ll get used to my smell.

Betty’s hobbies include bouncing off the walls and climbing door frames, eating in the dark and hiding behind the couch. I hope she likes her new home. She sure likes the food and she sleeps a lot. She probably hasn’t slept in months. She is a kitten and super tiny. Someday she’ll like us.