Since being bitten by some nasty predator, Ginger has been held captive on my porch. For a few days, she was too scared to do much protesting, but now her patience is wearing thin. Several times a day, she tells me she's had enough and asks to be released. Ginger is a real enigma. She's either really sweet or really stupid. Since she's survived for over five years as a feral before she finally got hurt, she can't be that stupid. But the part of her that makes me wonder if she's a little dim is that she displays some very un-cat-like behavior. For instance, if I put her somewhere, she stays. Who ever heard of a trustworthy cat? And she comes when I call her. What cat does that?
Except for me, she's terrified of people. This kind of fear usually makes cats mean, nasty and unpredictable. But even when Ginger's terrified, like at the vet's, she won't scratch or bite. The only time she ever scratches me is when she mistakes my legs for scratching posts, something she does quite frequently. She's also very affectionate in a pesky sort of way.
A few days ago, I removed the old screens being used for a gate so that she could roam the whole length of the porch. This also gave her the opportunity to slowly get acquainted with the cats that will probably be her future house mates. Progress in this department has been slow.
Tommy and Ginger already know each other. They hung around together outdoors as ferals. And in Tommy's hungry mind, another cat just means more food to steal.
Although the other house cats also know Ginger and hung around with her as kittens, they don't like her. Salem has major issues with her, but Salem has issues with most things.
Mornings while I'm doing chores, I leave the inside door to the porch open so the cats can freely roam from indoors to the porch and back. Ginger has made several tentative forays into the house. Each time Salem chases her back out.
Over the weekend, I wanted to hose down the porch. To do this without frightening Ginger, I tossed her into the house with the others. Considering the territorial behavior of Salem, this was probably scarier than being hosed. When I finished cleaning the porch and went back in, Ginger was right where I put her. But after I opened the door, she bolted back out onto the porch. She'd probably had more than enough of Salem.
Unfortunately, after cleaning the porch, I forgot to secure the screen door. Either Ginger or her outside pals figured out how to open the door and she got out. When I discovered the open door, I went out and called her. Like a fool, she came running up to me. She must have thought we were just going to socialize. And for a minute I thought about letting her go. But as I was patting her, her vulnerable wounded side caught my eye. Fearing she would get hurt again, I reached down with my free hand and scooped her up. Although she squirmed a bit, she allowed herself to be carried across the yard and deposited her back on the porch.
After the taste of freedom, Ginger wasn't happy to be cooped back up. For the rest of the day, she complained every time she saw me. At the moment she seems resigned, but she's probably biding her time hoping she'll get out again soon. I guess even being bitten is better than tangling with Salem..
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