My Friend Spot

This is Spot. She moved into our garage several months after my previous cat died. She seemed wild at first, but now I can pick her up (no scratches), and she comes running every time I go out the back door. She meows very quietly, and like a kitten, though she has some white fur in the colored areas of her body, which may indicate older age. She sleeps a lot. She is small, a bit of a runt, but in her quiet way, she is a good cat. We have no signs of rodents, though the raccoons boss her around if I'm not out after dark. She tries to wolf down her food before they show up. Cats don't "wolf" very well, and since they are obligate carnivores (have to eat a meat based diet, though she does freely sample greenery), they throw up easily. This is something to know if you think about owning a cat. They can have trouble knowing when they are full, and if they eat too much, they vomit. If they have a hairball (groom them by brushing- they like it, and throw up less), ditto. Outdoors is a better place for that than inside, especially if you have hardwood or delicate floors. We used to throw my previous cat outside when she made hacking sounds. We didn't throw her hard or far, just far enough to land gently in the grass. This one is already outside, so I just scrape off the residue and wash the sidewalk with water. This way causes a lot less discomfort for us and the cat, and she still has posh sleeping accommodations in the garage.