I have a number of them but the one about how we found our youngest cat (we have 3 strays and we won't have 4).
I was up late at night, about midnight, watching tv. I got up to get a drink from the fridge and heard a cat crying. I figured one of our 2 cats was shut up behind a door someplace in the house, as often happens, and started to look for it. After I found both cats sleeping I realized the noise was coming from the outside.
I opened the front door and heard something rustle a bush near the door. After turning on the light I saw a little face peaking out from the closest bush and it started to meow over and over again.
"Great!" I said to myself. Knowing My wife would not be able to find a home for this little guy and we would have another cat. Worse things could happen to be sure but if I don't keep a lid on the situation we would have every cat my wife saw living with us. L wakes up from the little critters persistent cry and comes to investigate.
The little guy was tiny and fuzzy and cute and really fast for a kitten. I tried gently picking him up but when my slow moving hand was about 3 inches away He bolted. He lept from bush to bush with L telling me to get him and offering all kinds of advice and very little help. If we lost track of him all we had to do was wait and listen for a few seconds and then he would start crying again.
"He's not that great at hiding. Is he?" I cursed half wishing I lost him but now I was on a mission. Don't get me wrong. I love animals but the only thing on my mind was winning. L kept telling me the kitten wanted our help and I kept wondering if that were true why was it so hard to catch the little guy.
I crawled through bushes. I jumped trough bushes. I dove on the ground. Dove into a bush (don't try that. I almost lost an eye). We got out two quilts and tried throwing them as nets. I formulated little battle plans to try and trick him. I got out my cast net only to have my wife tell me I was stupid and would hurt the kitten. For close to an hour we chased that little flea bag all over the place. Farther and farther from the house we chased him into this hiding place and then that one until he got across the street and through a neighbors fence about 300 feet away.
"He wins!" I yelled. " I give up" and I went inside defeated by a kitten.
Plenty tired now I went to sleep, My loving wife worried about the poor kitten. "I almost poked my eye out you know"
"Yes honey. I heard you the first time. What is that poor little kitten gonna eat." I could see where her loyalties lay.
About 3:30 in the morning I wake up to the sound of "Keith! come quick. I need your help!" Before I could get out of bed I hear L say "Oh never mind. I got him.
ALL SHE DID WAS REACH DOWN AND PICK THE DANG THING UP. FIGURE THAT!
After all that chasing, scaring the kitten half to death, it came back to our door and started crying again. To this day I have no idea why. No it wasn't left there at the door by someone with to many kittens. At least not in my opinion. It was covered in fleas and had 4 ticks so I know it had been outside on its own for a while. We put him in a spot with a water dish and some canned cat food. He ate and drank and passed out pretty quick. That was a little more than a year ago and he's a welcome addition to the family. Of the 3 cats he is the only one that NEVER tries to get outside and if he hears the door bell (don't ask me how he learned what a door bell is) or a knock at the door he runs and hides.
No more outside for this guy. I tried to post a picture of him but I can't upload for some reason.