Silly was the life of my backyard. A stray, or feral, as it initially appeared, she was found asleep in my backyard. Being a cat fan (and having one indoor cat), I wanted her to stay, so I enticed her with some food. She stuck around, although she wasn’t willing to display any friendly manners. She continually hissed, and would attack my hand if I put the food on the ground. She was pretty wild, a
ngry, stressed, and didn’t show much trust. I soon had Silly trapped for fear of her having kittens; to my surprise, the veterinarian told me that she had been previously spayed. That told me that Silly was just an abandoned cat. Who knows, caregivers moved, or fell ill, or died... or simply didn't want to handle this cat any longer. Whatever the circumstances, they are sad and traumatic for a cat. It took about two months of friendliness and patience on my part, and Silly finally started approaching me, hissed less, and ceased striking. She gradually started circling around me and rubbing against my legs. Soon she let me touch and caress her. Soon she was more interested in attention and affection than food. Silly became my backyard guard. She chased away other cats. She also kept the area free of rodents. Silly was tremendously useful; but she was also the life of my backyard. She was a perfect companion, a trusting friend, a joy to have around. She followed me everywhere; she rolled on the ground; she was happy. After almost 4 years living in my backyard, Silly fell terminally ill and we had to say goodbye… I grieved hard, I could not handle the loss. So I’ve decided to do something in Silly’s honor. I’m calling it Silly Legacy. This site is not about Silly’s death; rather, it’s about her life that I will forever cherish. With Silly I learned about outdoor cats and how wonderful they can be. So this site is about sharing experience about coexisting with outdoor (stray, feral, abandoned, ‘community’, whatever you may call them) cats. There are millions roaming around in the U.S.; if I can help one, I’ll be satisfied. I’m hoping that with sharing experience, more people will take care of outdoor cats in a proper way. I can attest to the rewarding experience.
