"Not Quite Our" Cat

Since living in Thailand, our diet is a bit different than it was when we lived in the U.S. Many ingredients we used regularly are prohibitively expensive or not available here. Some of our dishes we've been able to adapt but are quite different from the original. When I make them, I don't want those who remember what the dish was like in the U.S. to get their expectations too high, so I say I made "note quite colcannon." Now we have another happening that is almost like but "not quite" like the true thing.

On Christmas Day, a cat appeared on our back porch. She curled herself comfortably among the towels on the table and didn't run away when we approached her. We've had a number of cats in our garden, and a few have even snuck into the house, but they always run away when we try to get close. Not long before, I had been trying to entice a cat to be friendly by feeding it. The smoky grey cat would only come out of the tree or off the wall when it thought I was in the house. But now here was a cat that let Philip pet her. She allowed the kids to stroke her and even set her in their laps. We fed her some scraps of fat from our Christmas ham, and she decided to stay.

Since then, the tortoiseshell cat spends her days lazing on our back porch. We usually have plenty of chicken skins, bits of fat, or leftover pork to feed her. She greets us in the morning with her squeaky, hoarse mewing. She is not an affection cat, only rubbing against us to beg, but she is extremely tolerant. Calla has used her as a pillow and hugged her. Simeon has taken her on our swing. She has only scratched twice - once when I startled her from a deep sleep and once when Philip held her down for her rabies vaccine.

Yes, we've had her vaccinated against rabies since that is still a problem in Thailand. Most animals are strays or communal, so nobody take responsibility for their health or possible threats to human safety. We also took her with us in an old rabbit cage when we evacuate for the storm. And the kids have named her. She is Mistletoe, since we found her on Christmas Day.

So is she "our" cat? Well, we've not had a pet since we moved to Thailand because our plans our always precarious and temporary. We never know exactly how long we are going to be in one place or even in the country at all. We don't want to have to abandon an animal, and since Thais don't have pets in the same way we do, it would be hard to give one away. So Mistletoe is not allowed in the house; she catches geckos and moths to eat, and we hope she doesn't rely on us too much. But we named her and feed her and the kids consider her part of our family. She is "not quite our" cat.

What will happen when we have to move? Will we have to move? This is just another reminder to live for today and not worry about the future. We wouldn't have purposely acquired a feline member of the family, but since she has adopted us, we will enjoy her for now and worry about tomorrow when it comes.