We took in a kitten from a known feral cat and named him Billy-Bob, and joined him to our two other cats. Later we were able to take in that feral cat, and named her Petunia.

Petunia was jarred greatly by the experience of domesticity, but she soon stopped hiding in the cupboards all day, and then dipping her head defensively when we pet her. In fact, after she got the idea of what love was all about, she found herself in heaven, never getting enough love and affection. The look in her eyes of gratitude and the dearest affection is now seen whenever she is pet. She proved to the world that all of God’s creatures, whether in the wild or not, at some place in their heart are quite made to experience love and share love dearly in return.

Because we have 4 cats in this small apartment, and the accompanying 2 large litter boxes, it sometimes becomes necessary, even after cleaning the sand, to air out the place with a fan in the open front door.

One night when the fan was brought back into the livingroom, and the door shut, we couldn’t find Petunia. We thought she was just having a nap somewhere and would find her on the morrow. She couldn’t be found…

The day she was missing we walked all around the building and the surrounding blocks calling her name, but no Petunia.

We copied-up wanted pictures to post everywhere in town to see if someone could help us retrieve her. We went to the rescue center, fell in love with every animal in the building, and were amazed to learn that they find homes for 100% of their animals or care for them for life! What a place… Still, no Petunia.

The days went by, and I started checking the streets to see if she might have been mixed up with a car, but nothing doing with that either. Calling her name, checking the bushes, and experiencing her complete disappearance.

We decided to put out a little bowl of food one day, and found it partially eaten the next morning, but we do have raccoons and opposums in the neighborhood who could have done that as well. Yes, the suburbs of Los Angeles has it’s wildlife.

We were ready to give up hope after a week had gone by.

Then one night, out of the blue, I got up to use the restroom and decided to read the latest news online. While I was perusing the highlights her son Billy-Bob started screaming and howling and sounding as loud and very much like a police siren while looking out the front window. I had never heard this eerie humanlike wail ever come from him before or since. I thought I’d gamble on it and opened the front door——just to check——and in ran Petunia like a quarterback crossing the goal line in the Super Bowl.

Like a shot she headed for the kitchen and onto a shelf with the pots and pans as though to evade “another” imposed eviction. You can bet the whole house turned out when I yelled: “IT’S PETUNIA! SHE’S COME BACK!!”

My better half crawled into the shelf practically to join her, to make sure it wasn’t all part of the dozens of dreams we’d had of this, and Petunia came out to the edge of the shelf and sat there in our midst as though to say “Don’t we make a great team?”

Her street sense from years gone by had paid off, and she didn’t look any worse for wear.

It is heartwarming beyond words to think that this once feral cat has officially accepted us as part of her pride; that we have reached the expectations of this tiny adorable cat of what it considered “home”.

The eloquence of her behavior is a statement of belonging, as solid as a room full of attorneys could have put into a legal writ.

Billy-Bob did an excellent job in this second rescue.

Tim from CA