I brought my new barn kitty home Saturday [View all]

Her name is Josephine (Josie) and she is a beautiful patched tabby and white with distinctive raccoon like markings on her tail, which we all remarked on when she was in the shelter. She is currently residing in a large (think German Shepherd-sized) wire crate out by the woodpile. The crate contains a very nice feral house from Tractor Supply, her litter box and dishes, and room to move. Not quite the luxurious accommodations she had at the shelter, where she lived in a former dog kennel with two other cats. She can see out into the back 40 but nothing can get to her. She and Winnie have inspected each other (she withdrew into the carrier she came in) and she was also inspected by that damn tuxie boy who comes down from somewhere. Winnie ran him off. The first evening she wouldn't come out of the carrier, but by morning she'd moved into the house. She didn't eat anything or use the litterbox for the first 24 hours, but has done both now. This morning she was in the house and watched everything I did. Cheyenne, who's the "cat boss" at the shelter, says she doesn't think Josie is terribly feral as she was always out and watching everything while in the barn cat room. I seem to remember she was that way in the stray jail too, where we all remarked on how beautiful she was. She's a relatively big girl, too, 8.5 lbs on admission and probably a little bigger now. She sat quietly in the carrier on my lap while we processed her paperwork and got her stuff ready to take her home Saturday.