Last Fall I adopted two cats

I returned home from work one day last November to find this cutie laying about on the sidewalk outside of my apartment. I knocked on each door at my apartment building (with the kitty following close behind me), and asked the person who answered if they recognized this cat. A few people did, they said she showed up a couple days ago. None said it was their cat, a neighbor who I've see walking her dog a few times said "looks like she is your cat now".

She was very friendly, and a little dirty. I noticed she had a clipped ear, at first I thought she must have lost the tip of her ear in a fight with another cat. I later found out when I took her to the vet that cats in a feral colony get their ear's clipped after getting spayed and released. The vet shaved her belly to confirm she had a spay scar, she did have one as well as a tattoo. I knocked on each door at my apartment building (with the kitty following close behind me), and asked the person who answered if they recognized this cat. A few people did, they said she showed up a couple days ago. None said it was their cat, a neighbor who I've see her walking her dog a few times said "looks like she is your's now".

She loves laps. If she sees an empty lap, she will rectify that imbalance of the universe with her soft, warm presence.

I wish she could talk so I could ask her what her story is. She suddenly appeared in my apartment building, I had not seen her before at all, then there she was. Where did she come from? It appears she lived in a feral colony at some point, yet she is so friendly that I have a hard time believing she has not had close human contact before finding me. Was she abandoned? Was she abandoned more than once, before she ended up at a colony and then right before I took her in?

I named her Nyx, after the Greek goddess of the night. Her little white spot on her chest reminded me of a solitary moon in a black night sky. Here she is helping me make chicken and green curry. By help I mean occasionally try to get close to the cooking food, so I move the kettle in front of her to stop her.

Here is Nyx snuggling on my lap that was previously occupied by a computer. She decided she was more deserving of the location.

Nyx biscuits. I learned how to trim a cat's nails shortly after the first biscuit session.

Here is Nyx making the :3 face.

A few days before Christmas my fiancée sent me a few links to profiles of cats currently in shelters in our area. She found one for a cat named Hazel, who was abandoned by her family on the day they moved. According to her history, neighbors noticed the family couldn't find room for her in the car, so they left her in the driveway in her cage. Combine that story with the fact she was in a kill shelter, needless to say we went to the shelter and adopted Hazel.

Much to my dismay Nyx did NOT like having a new cat in the apartment. She hissed and wailed upon sight of Hazel. I knew to keep them separated for the first few days. I kept Hazel in my bedroom, after the first couple of days I put up a baby-gate to further the slow introduction.

Hazel is also a lap cat. I have to make sure both her and Nyx have equal access to laps.

I was tempted to rename her Jean, for Michael Jackson's song Billy Jean because she has ONE white paw that reminded me of his one silver glove.

Here we see Hazel preferring a five dollar scratching pad over a 30 dollar scratching post.

Here is Hazel looking out of my bedroom window. I set up a bird feeder in the grass behind my apartment for her entertainment. This was the first day home, she still had the collar from the shelter.

Close up of her pretty face.

It has been over a month since Hazel came home, but Nyx still hisses at her and avoids her. They do not fight on sight anymore, but if Hazel gets too close Nyx will have an outburst of aggression. I am starting to think Nyx had some very bad experiences with other cats when she lived in a colony. Nyx likes to position herself in a high place to keep an eye on Hazel's movements. Here she is on the dryer, which is not only high but also warm when in use.

More :3

This is the closest to one another I have yet to see them. I think me sitting between them provided a buffer. It has been slow, but I think there is progress. They may never be best friends, but I am hoping they can at least live in peace. We separate them when they are home alone, since no one will be there to break up their fights with a spray bottle. The vet we go to suggested getting pheromone neutralizers. I may give that a try, although I fear Nyx just is socially maladjusted and needs more time than usual to feel safe around a new cat.