Falling…

He has fallen on his paws in true feline fashion. Jericho, a medium-haired domestic black-and-white tuxedo cat, has long, long been lurking on our radar and around the sanctuary. At first, it was only a blip here and there: “Did you see that stray?” offered every week or so. And then nothing.

But then the sightings began to come a little more frequently, until you could set your clock by his evening meanderings. The fleeting haze of his feet dashing out of view, two green eyes peering out from under the silo, or the howl outside our window – the latter much to the disdain of Miss Jessica – all told here was where Jericho had decided to take up camp.

With no neighbouring houses near Edgar’s Mission and our location way, way off the limits of our nearest town, it is hard to credit that dear Jericho made his way here under his own steam.

And so, after careful planning and strategising, a cat trap was set, and on our first attempt, we landed us the hapless moggie, who stared terrified at the world.

Cowering in the back of the cage, his body hunched and tense, ready to unleash its fury at our next move. Or even breath. This was indeed one mighty angry kitty.

Or so it seemed.

All too well versed in the nasty wounds that can be inflicted by untamed cats, we moved with caution and kind words. Carefully releasing the bewildered Jericho into the safety of one of our vetcages, he slunk into a little cave and hid.

Gentling him next with presence and our hand, it was not long before Jericho flipped from fearful to friend, and it became clear that he was once an “owned” cat. For his eyes softened while his body relaxed, and he gloriously flipped onto his back, exposing the vulnerability of his belly. Accepting his “invitation to treat”, our hand dexterously melted into its soft whiteness.

“I trust you,” being the mutual message.

With all of our efforts to trace from where dear Jericho has come failing, we know he has most certainly come a long way in that time. And, too, each day has seen us all falling more and more in love with him.

As Jericho gently sways his tail in sync with our hand movements, we reflect on his journey, from homed to homeless, then found and loved. We, too, are reminded that we humans fall way short of our duty to animals when we abandon them so. For at great risk to the vagary of the elements they are, as they too pose great peril to our native wildlife; our first duty to the domesticated animal species is that we are responsible for who we have tamed.

Footnote to this story. It has been reported that around 50,000 cats and kittens (most of them young and healthy) are killed in Australia each year. But it does not have to be this way. Please contain your cat/s, ensure they are identified, desexed and regularly health checked, and do not let them free roam. If you cannot make a lifetime commitment to another sentient being, consider volunteering at one of the many desperately in-need shelters instead.