It's pouring rain and it's pretty brisk outside. The temperature actually is pretty nice for this time of year -- it's an "open the windows and use the fan" kind of weather, which is nice even in the rain.

But as Mark and I arrived home a little while ago, I was worrying about how our little cat friend was faring in this weather. Brisk and wet can't be a good weather combination for those who are likely to spend the entire night out in it.

And then I saw her, on the step of the house two doors away. I got her attention and she came RUNNING over to our front step full speed, mewing to be fussed over.

I'm glad we have awnings to stand under, because I was able to close the umbrella (which was kind of spooking her if I happened to move the wrong way) and have a major dote session with one small, stripey, madly purring kitty. What a big motor there is in that little tiny cat!

I'm so relieved to see that she's still OK. Every time I don't see her for an extended period of time (hours, actually), I start worrying that she's been hurt or something's wrong.

I desperately wanted to bring her indoors, but a) I can't do that without a clean bill of health, as I already have two cats, and b) Mark would get upset if I did. We have a good-sized bill or two about to come down the pike, and this wouldn't be a good time to pay for a full veterinary workup for a new cat.

So instead, I brought out a dish of cat food. She came running. I put it under the loveseat, which is under the awning. I could see that the pavement is dry there, so it's doubly protected from being rained on. And so will SHE be when she decides to eat it. After verifying where I'd put the dish, she went over to our next door neighbor's patio where they have a larger awning AND padded furniture. Yep, she's all feline, all right -- if you want to know the most comfortable place in the ZIP code, just follow the nearest cat. The kitty will lead you directly to it, right before curling up and taking a nap there. :o)

I hope the fact that she didn't scarf the cat food down the instant I gave it to her means that she's eaten somewhere else already. I hope at least one other person is feeding her, because she's too thin. She could use every last calorie.