Three years ago a beautiful female rescue cat padded her way into our home. It was love at first sight. There was something about her sad little face that found me calling the rescue to ask about her. With all the kittens being born, the rescue said, the chances for an adult cat being adopted were slim. She had been abandoned along with her sister and her six month old kitten. While she was in a foster home she’d escaped, and, well, the upshot was she was pregnant, soon to give birth to six more kittens.

We waited for the kittens to be born and finish  nursing, and then off we went to get her spayed. Not once was there indecision. This little feline was going to live like a princess as she deserved. We kept her original name and added “Ms” so she became Ms. Patches Cecil.

She accepted our hyper young dog yet she still had that desire to escape. There were a couple of near getaways. Hence she was nicknamed “White Lightening.” As time passed she became more and more relaxed. TV is fascinating for her. There is a particular commercial she loves, with a small bird called Hugo walking across the screen. Every time it comes on I yell, “Patches, there’s Hugo!” It doesn’t matter where she is, she zooms into the room, perches herself on her cat stand, and watches Hugo cross the screen. When Hugo leaves, Patches goes behind the tv, certain she can find him somewhere.

This gave me an idea that she needed a catio for the summer months. There are many birds flitting around, from robins to bluejays, various species of swallows, finches and little wrens. Woodpeckers, ducks, Canada Geese and of course the Great Blue Herons, and they provide great entertainment for her. She can’t keep up, running from one window to the next.

Building the catio was such a pleasure and letting her enjoy it even more so. Princess Patches is a royal feline, looking out at the Ottawa River with so many birds for entertainment. The bird songs delight us both.

Patches is an advocate for catsandbirds.ca . She wears her little collar tag, a great way to open up a discussion on keeping our cats safe and saving our fine feathered friends. We keep a sign in the catio as well. It’s my belief that this little abandoned cat still has a mission in life: spreading the word about how to live the good life while protecting the birds we love. It doesn’t  get any better than that. 🙂

• Dorothy Krusky