Petunia Came Home

Petunia disappeared for several weeks and scared me half to death. She is a beautiful calico kitty, the daughter of Lydia and some unknown beau. Petunia is one of the "Coffeetown Kitties," found in the bushes on Coffeetown Road near the last place we lived. Petunia is shy like her mother and the trailer was so crowded. Sure, I have a 20,000 square foot barn for the cats to live in, but some cats are inside cats who need the order and safety of the house. The world outside is a big scary place and the law of the jungle prevails. Shy kitties are targets for stronger, assertive cats who take over the barn and chase away the ones they don't like. Petunia ran away before we got this apartment finished. I saw her again about a week ago, sitting on the fence behind me, shaking all over as if to say, here I am, here I am. We hugged and got reacquainted and I let her eat from the food I have stashed up high from the dogs (which Pavarotti, the rooster, likes to steal). I made the mistake of letting her go. Last night she was back but the dogs got excited and chased her away. Tonight she was there in the barn and I snatched her up and brought her inside. I gave her the salmon and tuna with sauce I bought today and she ate and ate. Petunia will be the inside kitty from now on. I don't want to lose her again. She's very contented lying on my sewing machine cabinet and purring all over. I can't pet her enough. The dogs don't bother her and she seems okay with them. I better go prepare a cat box...