When I returned to Austin last night after my brother was admitted to detox/rehab, I shifted my efforts from saving him to saving Sophie. Sophie is a stray. The first time I saw her I was up on a ladder changing my neighbor’s air filter. I happened to glance out the window as she was walking across my neighbor’s driveway. I scrambled down the ladder and rushed outside, thinking one of my indoor cats had gotten out.

This is Sadie. She could be Sophie’s doppelgänger. But for the eyes. Sophie’s eyes are more slanted. Here’s Sally, Sadie’s sister:

That first afternoon, after many treats and much patience, Sophie came close and allowed us to pet her. She purred. I knew then she wasn’t feral. The second night we managed to get her into the carrier and to the after hours clinic. Unfortunately, she’s not chipped. I made the mistake of keeping her in the garage that night. Between the trip to the vet and being trapped in the garage, she made herself scarce for several days. She then began reappearing to eat the food I left for her. But I never saw her other than through the peephole of the door to the garage for over a week.

Last night, I sat in the garage for two hours with a plate of tuna. She didn’t show herself. But this morning, the tuna was gone. I’ve been sitting in the open garage today for five hours. I was about to give up, when I heard crunching sounds. She was eating the Greenies I left in the driveway! Slowly she ate the trail to the plate of tuna I’d put out for her. I positioned it about five feet from where I was sitting. As she ate the tuna, I pretended to ignore her. But I did manage to sneak this shot.

When I rustled the treat bag to put some treats nearer to me, off she ran.  After a few moments, she returned and ate some treats closer to me.

Progress! Maybe by the new year, she’ll be back to allowing me to pet her. My goal is to earn her trust once again, and then take her to the vet for a full exam. I hope she is healthy and can be introduced to my two black rescues as I attempt to find her a home. The trouble is, I’m already in love with her.

Three black cats? Another step closer to crazy cat lady. Or witch.