I have 4 indoor cats right now. My husband still thinks we only have 2 pets and 2 fosters. I think he knows that the 2 fosters have already clawed their way in to our hearts but he still wants to believe that we only have 2 pets and 2 fosters.
Aside from our 4 indoor cats, I also have a stray that I consistently feed as much as I can. I mean I try to make it as regular as I can but this stray, which my daughter named De La Ming Ming, has his own schedule. I sometimes catch him waiting by the gate. But there are days that he wouldn't even show up in the neighborhood. I tried to keep him inside our gate - which has always been the quarantine space for any of my newly adopted cats - but he ended up wrecking 5 of my plant pots. So I kinda parked the idea of domesticating De La Ming Ming.
He has his own time, he has his own schedule, our entire neighborhood is his space, he comes and goes as he wants. But lately, I have been making some progress with him. I want to have him fixed more than anything. I want to have him checked because I can barely count the number of times I've had to nurse his injuries from his fights outside. I blame it to the fact that he hasn't been neutered yet. So I'm trying to win his heart slowly but surely.
Now, I've mentioned I that I am making progress with him. Before, he would just eat and run. Once he's done eating, he would just rush to the gate wanting to be let out. Then, he switched from eat and run, to eat and hang out and not want to get out. Just a few days ago, I was surprised that he started listening to me. I mean actually listen to me. After he's done eating, I told him that I had to clean the place so he can have a clean spot for his next feeding time so I needed him to leave for a minute. To my surprise, he got up and followed me out.
Tonight, he let me pet him. A lot of times. I gave him his food and gave him his space as he always wanted. I left him as soon as I gave him his food. When I checked on him again, he has scattered his food on the floor and saw him just laying down on the mat. When I went out, he stood up and went to his food and started eating. I decided to sit by him and watch him eat. I talked to him while he was eating. Since he was so focused with his food, I would turn to my phone. He would then stop eating and look at me. I tried to pet him again. And he let me. Again and again. Then I tell him to finish eating and he would. Then I'd turn to my phone again and there he goes again.
I've read about some cats wanting to have someone, usually their hooman, watch them while they eat. This one, De La Ming Ming does not just want me to watch him. He wants me to talk to him while he finished eating. That was enough to make me feel ecstatic. I am still unable to fully pet him the way I pet my Kalinga, my Hiraya, my Magellan, and my Sungit. But I know I'll get there. We'll get there. I think De La Ming Ming is slowly falling in love with me. If he does not want to be domesticated, I'm fine with that. I just want to be able to bring him to the vet one day and have him neutered. Who knows, once he gets fixed, he'll want to stay in a forever home. I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind us taking in one more stray. There is a possibility that he is also starting to fall in love with De La Ming Ming.
