Finally at home

  Our recently adopted cat, Nycto, has had a rough go about accepting us as her family.  She adores my son, Michael, but that does not mean much for the rest of us.  Every animal adores Michael.  I don't care if you bring a wild 'possum his way, in a few minutes, he will be petting it.  (I can't say much there, I pet them, too!)  Still, 'possums, rabbits, snakes, cats, they are all the same to him..critters to be petted or at least befriended.  He just told me this evening about some baby armadillos that he found in the lane.  "They are friendly little rascals."  Ok, that said, Nycto following Michael around is like a baby chicks after a mama hen.  It only seems natural.  He does not do anything special..doesn't talk to the critters..doesn't ply them with food..they just seem to know that he is their friend.  Not so with me.  Sure, I have a knack of befriending birds of all things but warm and fuzzy critters?  Not so much.

  This morning, however, things were different.  The cats, Nycto and Ms. Put, still have to have their own space when inside.  Nycto, being the newbie, is  to the entryway while Ms. Put, being Queen of all the Universe, has the run of the rest of the house.  This works well in as much as Nycto has no problem being secluded as long as she has a nice cozy place to snooze.  Ms. Put roams.  She needs room to move about as she searches for any thing searchable.  All night long, she is bounding in and out of every nook and cranny of the Little Bayou House.  Since I arise before dawn, Ms. Put and I have our breakfast together.  Then she wants out.  No problem.  This morning, after I let her free for the day, Nycto was allowed to explore the house. It was raining and she was in no hurry to escape the confines of her warm and cozy quarters but after a bit, she decided to meander about the house. She came into the large living room where I was working on a painting. She watched me a bit then decided to hop up on the window ledge. Here she could watch the rain and snooze in relative safety from Ms. Ez, the dog.  Ez was nervous about Nycto being in the same room.  She has not figured out the Nycto is a cat and not to be chased.  To her, fuzzy tail denotes squirrel..squirrel means chase.  This has happened several times in the yard and it was all Ez could do to control her instinct to pounce on the fuzzy-tailed Nycto.

  After a napping a bit on the window ledge, Ms. Nycto decided it was time to grace me with her presence.  She snuggled up close to me and continued her morning beauty sleep.  I petted her occasionally but not enough to make her uncomfortable.  It was a grand feeling to know that Ms. Nycto now felt at ease enough to snuggle.  She seems to have forgotten those who abused her and can now relax enough to enjoy a bit of family.  She is finally at home.