The Two Lives of Cats (and Kale)

When I moved back to my townhouse in November 2011, I was pretty beat up. I was down and depressed and these two felines greeted me.  The Welcoming Committee as it were.

This pic was actually after I kicked them out of my kitchen. I had left the back screen door open while I was out fetching something out front from the move and these two let themselves in. I looked at them, they looked at me. I figured that my previous tenants had allowed them into the house and fed them. The cats/kittens had the look of, "Who are you?" I had the same question for them. The were feral but well-fed. The best of both worlds I suppose.

A bit later, I heard a Latina Lady (or Latinx I guess is now the term) from a townhouse down the row calling for them in Spanish to give them some vittles. Who knew the cats were bilingual? As the years have gone by,  the two have become one. I think one of the guys fell down a sewer because I had heard a meowing from below the sewer grate a couple of years ago. Since that time, I see the lone survivor around. He's got a bit of a belly on him which mean he is still being fed by another's hand yet he is outdoors on some brutally cold days of 2 degrees rolled up as a ball.

He's/She's a survivor. I admire that. Today, my feline friend was out sunny himself/herself (Felinex?) in my expansive backyard.

By the markings, I think it was the kitten closest to me in the previous picture. Although I am not entirely sure. I appreciate that my furry buddy doesn't use my garden as his make-shift litter box. Also, in the picture, are my kale plants that have survived the Winter. Say what you want about kale, it is pretty bad-ass to survive single digits temps and make it to Spring intact. It has to be a superfood. Shoot, tomatoes crap out in early September.  

I dig seeing this cat around. He/She is still kicking and hasn't given up on life. That gives me hope. Life has rough times and then peaceful times. In times of hardship, I held on to hope that life would eventually improve. The Spring would come again. And it has.