Very shortly after moving into my home, I renamed the holes in my fence as ‘cat passage.’ This was because of all the cats that ran across the street and through the holes in two parts of my fence. They go into the community garden behind my place and the less-busy streets below. I have vowed to keep these small breaches in my perimeter as long as I am here. And I try to watch out for the cats that come through.  This happened on thanksgiving about five years ago. It is the best (and only!) thanksgiving gift I have ever received, in more ways than one.

Even though I live in the center of the city, my backyard is still a good source of wildlife activity. I tend to keep an eye out for crows, other birds, butterflies and anything else interesting that might pass through. When I passed by my window on this Friday, I caught a glimpse of something moving through the flower bed. It was a cat. Probably just passing through on his way home. I didn’t think much of it and went about my day.

Saturday brought heavy rain for most of the day and there wasn’t much moving in the garden. But it cleared up a little later and I went to the window to look out and ponder where this fall’s bulbs would go. And there he was again – a beautiful black cat with yellow eyes, and a small dot of white on his chest, just hanging out in my flower garden.

Instinct sent me to my camera first with the idea of getting a picture of the pretty kitty and being able to zoom in and see if he had a collar or tag. I snapped a quick pic and then went to the kitchen to get him some food. I thought the first time I saw him he was just passing through, but the second time it seems he was hanging out – so I figured he was lost and maybe hungry.

I put some chicken salad in a bowl and went out to put it in the garden for him. I walked very slowly around the corner of the house so as not to frighten him. But he saw me and bolted into an old doghouse in my backyard. I put the food down in the last place he was in the garden and walked back to the corner of the house. I peeked around the corner at him, and he was peeking out of the doghouse at me. I retreated to the house to give him the yard and raced inside to get to the window and watch.

I stood there for 20 minutes, but the cat didn’t come back. I figured I had scared him away. I left the window and did some chores and checked back in another 20 minutes. And there he was again – cleaning his paws and face, the empty bowl behind him. He hung out for another little while and then disappeared into the tall grass on the community property behind my place.

I got another bowl of chicken salad and went out to replace the empty one. He had eaten it all – even the celery, onions, and green peppers. I left the full bowl and went back into the house. It was coming on dark now.

Sunday morning I checked for him but he wasn’t around. The bowl still had the food in it, but now it was covered in ants and assorted other bugs. I replaced the salad and went to my family’s Thanksgiving Day dinner. Of course, I told them all about ‘Backyard Kitty’ as he (or she) had been so named. We talked about how he looked healthy and was probably lost. When I got home, I got my flashlight and went to the backyard to check for the cat. He was nowhere to be seen, but the bowl was empty, except for a handful of ants. I left the bowl and went inside, hoping the cat was somewhere safe for the night.

Monday morning found me looking for the cat but seeing no signs. I went out with another bowl of food, and by the time I got to the backyard he was there but walking away from me. He slinked under the chain link and just stopped. I quietly crept to the food bowl and replaced it and then walked over to where the cat was. He still hadn’t moved. I started calling out the usual “here kitty, kitty, psss, psss” and was baffled when he didn’t bolt or at least turn around. I began speaking louder – “HERE KITTY, HERE KITTY,” still nothing. I clapped, whooped and dragged the bowl on the chain link between us – and he didn’t even twitch his tail. He was deaf.

Now I was even more worried about this cat and I started to move so I could get around the fence and get closer to him. I live on a high traffic street in the center of the city – not a good place for a deaf cat to be wandering or lost. But, as I started to move, he turned his head and saw me. We locked eyes for a moment and I held up the bowl to try to convey to him that I had left more food. I took a step towards him – and he was gone – off into the tall grass again.

I brought the bowl back into the house and started a walk around the neighbourhood to see if the drugstore or corner store had anyone looking for a lost cat. There was another cat posted on the drugstore community board, but it was not my ‘Backyard Kitty.’

I went to the corner store and asked there, but they hadn’t heard of anybody looking. My sister-in-law was checking online while I was walking the neighbourhood. She had no luck either.

I walked back home and went directly to the backyard. The food was still there, covered in ants again by this point. But there were also a bunch of people in the community property. They were all walking around and yelling out “Cuddles! Cuddles!” I yelled out to them – “Are you looking for a lost cat?”

“YES!” one woman said, and I could hear the desperation in her voice. I described my ‘Backyard Kitty’ and I could hear the relief in her voice when she said “That’s him!” She gave me a flyer and I confirmed that Cuddles and ‘Backyard Kitty’ were one and the same. I told her about seeing him over the weekend.

It turns out Cuddles is 17 years old, has recently gone deaf, and has been missing since Wednesday. Cuddles is an indoor cat and hadn’t been outside in a long, long time. His owner was very upset and had been looking for him for days. I told her about his visits to my backyard and pointed to the bowl of food. She was so happy to learn that he had been here and that I had seen him today. She set up camp on the other side of my fence, close to the food I had left out. She was sure Cuddles would come back because he likes to eat.

Again, I go back into my house, hopeful that Cuddles will come by and be reunited with his owner. After about an hour, I hear some shouting – “Here Cuddles, come on, here cuddles.” I race outside to the backyard just in time to see Cuddles coming out from under the community shed and into his owner’s arms! It was wonderful to see them reunited and to hear his owner’s cries of joy. I took in the last bowl of food, and, with apologies to the ants and a couple of slugs, tossed the contents in the garbage and put the bowl in the sink.

I was happy that Cuddles and his owner were together again, I relayed the outcome to my sister-in-law and assorted family and went on with my day.

A few hours later, while I was finishing up the remaining dishes, I hear a knock on my door. It’s Cuddles owner. She has a card and a gift in her hand. I can see her eyes are still a little red from the crying she has done over Cuddle’s ordeal of being lost and found. She hands me the gift and tells me she just wants to thank me for taking care of Cuddles while he was lost. She wanted to let me know that he is happy to be home and the other animals are happy he is back. And she also wants to give me something to help me buy food for the next animals that come into my life needing a little help.

I was so touched I almost couldn’t speak. This woman had been beside herself for the past six days looking for her missing cat. And she took the time, effort, and cost to personally thank me for my concern – for the simple act of feeding her lost cat and watching out for him.

It’s thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a great partner, a great family, a great job – I’m doing well. But Cuddles owner reminded me, with more than the chocolates, money, and cards she gave me, her actions remind me to keep being kind, to keep paying it forward, and to always watch out for those who may have strayed.

©CRodgers