Welcome to the family, Riley!

Sometime this fall (we can't remember exactly when), a cat started hanging around our house. The first time we saw it, we thought Claire has escaped from the house since this cat looked very much like she does. Although a bit skittish, the cat seemed nice enough. After some convincing, it got close enough to let us pet it and we started giving it food and water every once in a while. After a couple weeks, we started to wonder if the cat had an owner or if anyone in the neighborhood knew about it's situation. We put a collar around it's neck with a note asking if anyone saw the note to give us a call. A couple days later a woman down the street called and said that the cat had been hanging around her house for the last couple years. Since the cat had been living outside for quite some time, we thought we'd leave well enough alone but continue to provide food and water occasionally.

Well, as the weather grew colder, the cat barely left our porch, and even seemed interested at the prospect of coming inside. Nick built her an insulated shelter to stay warm, and we planned to take her to a clinic to get checked out. Without knowing the cat's history, we weren't willing to risk infection to our other cats before getting "outside kitty" checked out. Nick spent a couple hours at FACE, getting her de-wormed, vaccinated and tested for FeLV and FIV. With a clean bill of health, Nick brought her home and invited her to stay inside.

We've since dubbed her "Riley" and considering the circumstances, she's adapted pretty well to life on the "inside." She barely moves off of our bed, and purrs immediately when petted. Welcome, Riley!