I See You Too!

I am your new tom cat. I have been lurking, knowing there is only room for one Tom at a time. I sense the Tom before me - his absence is now making my presence possible. I don't want to be seen, but I am hungry. I will not let you get too close, but I will eat your food. I will fight your old, neutered cats. The furry one that smells terrible, the orange one who walks funny and wheezes sometimes, the small black hunter who hides, waiting for an opportunity, they are no match for me. They are used to the softer side of life. They know what heat is. They know what the touch of a human feels like. I am a hunter, a survivor. I am a tom cat with no family. My long, black coat is sun bleached. My right eye runs. I do what it takes to get a meal. My hormones keep me focused on being dominant, contributing to the kitty population. Food is my only weakness. Opportunities to feast make even the wildest of animals venerable. I've got my eyes on the Lively Family and am inspecting every square inch of your property, not backing down to any of the four Lively cats that roam, only running at the sight of a human. I am your new tom cat, whether any of us like it or not.

We see you lurking, slinking around our property. We see you eating the food we put out for our other cats. All of you tom cats are the same with your extra wide faces and confident strut. Once neutered, you end up being the very best pets. We hear cats fights that we are sure you are involved in. Our cats are used to sharing their food with strangers, with birds and raccoons. They will get used to you just like you will get used to us. Our last Tom wound up being one of the best cats we have ever had. You might be that lucky too. You will have a name, likely one much more original than Tom. We do not know exactly what attracts your kind to our home. Can you smell food from miles away? Is there some kind of friendly force field that lures homeless and lost animals to our home? We do what we can to help the lost and hungry. We just want to warn you that your initiation into our Lively clan involves a small surgery. Whether we have to trap you or stuff you into a cat carrier ourselves, you will be neutered and vaccinated. Little do you know, this will be the best day of your life. It means that you will be on your path to being domesticated. You will know what it is like to be loved by a human and fed regularly. You might even feel the heat from our furnace on the really cold nights this winter. We see you and we will help you. You can stay, but even if you choose not to, we hope to get you neutered first. You are smart. You are a cat. I'm sure you will eventually understand, and if you do not, at least we have done what we can for you. We see you, and it is okay that you have chosen us.