A cat's right to choose

I feel just so happy when I see this little face.

This is a cat that I discovered loitering around our yard over the past week. He was in a really bad way - really thin and dirty with mangey scabby fur. I assumed he was a stray because of the terrible shape he was in. He was very nervous so I just left some food for him outside for a couple of days and when he started to get a bit more comfortable I gave him a bit of a cuddle (avoiding said nasty fur areas). It's only been a week but a transformation is already happening. His fur looks so much better - you can actually pat him and pick him up now without wanting to run and wash yourself! And he has the sweetest little nature. Very very affectionate - as if he had been starved of cuddles and alone for a long time. I adore him and would love to keep looking after him - but of course I had to check if there was someone else out looking for him.

After a few days he let me get a hold of the tag on his collar long enough for me to read the phone number on it. I got in touch with the owners and we tried between us to get him to go back to them - I stopped feeding him, but still he came back to me and never went back to the previous owner's place. My mum always said you don't choose a cat, a cat chooses you. And why shouldn't he have a say in where he lives. The other people have a couple of young kids and two other (bigger) cats and he just couldn't get the attention (and I'm guessing peace!) he needs. So we agreed that I should take him on permanently. It's a bit of a big thing for me as I haven't had my own cat for a few years. I think dogs are easier than cats in some ways because you can take a dog with you on holidays without worrying too much. Already we've had to postpone the weeklong camping trip we were going on in a week's time. I don't have the heart to leave him in a cattery this early on or lock him inside with someone doing food drops once a day just yet. Not for a whole week. And especially not since he is still so anxious for attention. In fact he still seems less interested in the food than he does in just being patted and played with. Poor little chookie. I can't wait to see how he looks once he's put a little weight on those bare bones.