Blue and I have known each other for over a year now—sixteen months, to be exact. I first saw her sitting on the rise behind my house back in California. Our neighborhood was comprised of 10 acre parcels, and, as far as I knew, she didn’t belong to any of the neighbors. Assuming she was a stray, I began feeding her and befriending her. I named her Blue because of her eyes. Eventually, I formalized it to Bluebelle.
We soon had a regular routine. I’d bring her food morning and night and sit with her while she ate, talking to her and eventually trying a little stroke along her back. She spent her nights under the house. I would have gladly welcomed her into the house, but she just wouldn’t have it.
I already had two indoor cats, Zeke and Darcy, who carefully observed her through the window whenever they had the chance. They didn’t seem afraid of each other, but I think they were happy to be separated by that piece of glass.
A few months after she appeared I decided to move to North Carolina. It was a complex move with all the animals I had. The cats would go in a van operated by Royal Paws (a pet moving organization which I highly recommend). How Bluebelle would react to the move was an ever-present worry for me. I wasn’t sure I could catch her and had no idea how she’d take to the journey. To make it worse, I needed to board the cats for about two weeks when they reached North Carolina. They would make the trip much more quickly than I would (driving six days), and then I needed to wait for my furniture to arrive before I brought the cats home.
I planned everything carefully, and all the cats made it without incident.
I’d assumed that once we were all in North Carolina Bluebelle would insist on being an outdoor cat once again. But, much to my both my surprise and delight, she never showed the slightest interest in what was beyond the door. I thought she’d transformed from an outdoor cat to a couch potato.
Instead, I think the move gave the real Bluebelle—the couch potato Bluebelle—to finally emerge. I love my couch potato. And my bed potato!
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