SILVER
Silver was one of many cats that I trapped, neutered, and released in 2004. (I live near Syracuse University, and the students abandon many cats at the end of the academic year.) Most of the cats resume their feral lives after I release them, coming to my yard for food. A few of the cats (including those who live with me now) decide to domesticate themselves.
Silver falls between these two groups. She is very friendly, likes to be petted, and enjoys being carried around the yard. She wears a collar, which I think makes people more tolerant of outdoor cats. She is a beautiful silver tabby, smart and resourceful. She always turns up dry, no matter how wet the weather. She is one of two feral cats who realize that water freezes in the winter, and drinks before she eats. She brings me rodents in exchange for the cat food that I give her.
Until the winter of 2008/2009, she wouldn't tolerate coming indoors at all. Then she began sitting in my lap, wrapped in her own blanket, to warm up. Invariably, she would start staring at the ceiling, and then run for the door. I was hoping to spend more time with her outdoors the following summer. Meanwhile, she had a cat carrier converted to a cozy sleeping space, and a heating pad, on the porch.
Silver disappeared in April of 2011. She was healthy. and then she was gone. I hope she wandered off to a better life, but I think that she died. In seven years, she had never stayed away more than three days in a row.
