Annabelle....

This is "Annabelle", our barn kitty. I adopted her back in July (along with another cat we called Sammy, who sadly disappeared a few days after we got them!!) Annabelle is a feral cat, and was in foster care with her kittens when I first met her. She wasslated to be "put down" after her kittens were weaned, which seemed cruel, but she was "so wild" that she was dangerous. After talking with her foster mom, it was decided that she would make a good "barn cat" and they were willing to let me take her. For the first few weeks, this is what she looked like. If you got too close to her, she would growl, hiss and yes, try to bite you. We kept her "locked" in for a few weeks, so she would get to know the barn , then released her and hoped for the best. (after loosing Sammy, who knew what would happen with her)

All summer and fall, we would catch glimpses of Annabelle. We knew she was "around" because every night all her food would be eaten and her little bed slept in. We set up the wildlife camera on different occasions, and could "catch her nightly activities". From the pictures and what we saw of her, she looked very healthy and almost "happy" with her freedom and new found life.

It would have been nice to actually see her around the barn, I always thought of "barn cats" hanging out and greeting you as you entered the barn... but, with Annabelle, that wasn't the way it was. And if she was in the barn when you walked in, she very quickly ran out the back door and off into the woods.

One night last week, when we went to feed the horses, Ed heard a cat crying. It took us a little time, and we found her under the wagon. Because it was so unusual to even have her in the barn, Ed was afraid that something "might be wrong" I got a flashlight and checked her over (from a distance) as best I could and she looked fine. I did notice that she never growl or hissed, and just sat there looking at me looking at her. We made her bed, left her food and went about closing the barn up for the night.

The next day, as I was mucking out stalls, I turned around and saw Annabelle, sitting in the alley way watching me. I talked to her as I worked and she would answer back. At one point, I stopped close to her, and she actually approached me, almost close enough for me to touch her. I was thrilled!!! and spent a little more time with her, but didn't want to overwhelm her.

I called Ed, telling him about my news, he thought that was pretty good. That evening Ed fed the horses, as I was teaching dog class. When I got home, I asked him if he had seen Annabelle... "yup, you can see her quite well when you are holding her"..... holding her??? she let him pick her up???? sure enough, she had gone right to Ed, and he was able to hold her for just a few seconds!!!



This is Annabelle.... our barn kitty... I adopted her in July!!! She now has the courage to come and greet you. She will allow me to pet her, but I haven't been able to pick her up. She is still a little jumpy and cautious, but she is around. And I have no doubt that another six months will make her even more friendly. She is such a cutie, and when I think that she wasn't suppose to "have a chance".. I am so happy that it didn't work out like that.

My bible reading yesterday said... "God has his eye on even the sparrow"... He certainly had his eye on Annabelle!!!!