Meet Sophie the Cat

I'd be neglect if I didn't mention the newest addition to my household: Lovely Sophie the Underfoot

Another feral stray cat who was stalking my front porch last December, I made an appointment with the local cat rescue organization Forgotten Cats, caught her and had her fixed on Dec. 13 of 2023, then almost immediately re-homed her with my upstairs neighbor, who had an older cat and was willing to take on the new mouth to feed.

I patted myself on the back for doing a tiny part of quelling the ever expanding cat colony in my neighborhood. I continued to fuss and pander to Jack and Jill, my feral adoptees from 2022. All was well.

Alas, a little over two months later, my upstairs neighbor begged off the new kitten. She was terrorizing the older cat, and required far more attention than they were able to give. I gladly accepted the teenage black and brown tabby back into my tiny apartment. After a few days of keeping the cats apart, they eventually all met and eventually settled on a policy of mutual detent, with occasional outbursts of the zoomies every evening.

It wasn't until June 11, 2024 that she officially became mine, when I (as I always do) chipped Sophie and registered her royal name with the PetID service that sells the sub-dermal RFID chips; Microchip # 941010001540198. She is named in tribute to my dog friend Sophie, who crossed the rainbow bridge on Thanksgiving 2023. The 'Lovely' moniker is obvious once you take a look at her lovely coloring and smooth coat, but why is she called Underfoot? She's quite curious, and follows me around all day, getting underfoot when I'm trying to wash dishes, brush my teeth, or simply refill my glass with ice.

I love it.

She is a terror indeed, being nearly a year and a half younger than the twins, but the older cats are teaching her the ways of indoor life. Initially, she wouldn't cover her poop in the litter box - something she'd never learned as a baby. Jill would often do some housekeeping, and now Sophie has figured it out as well. Sophie still comes running when food is dispensed, and often hogs the bowl - which is what I would expect from her feral upbringing. The older cats have accepted waiting their turn.

Her birthdate is October 15th, based on her 2 pound weight when I had her fixed, and she doesn't remember anyway. We celebrated her first year just a few weeks back, and all the cats got special treats all day long. Sophie has come to love Jack, and tolerates Jill (maybe competition?) but they all have their own personalities and moods, and I love them all. I'm beginning to understand the warning that cats should be adopted in pairs, as I think there's a power play going on at home for the males attention. Sophie is one of the first lap cats I've ever owned, and delightfully climbs into my lap to purr every day.