While sitting on the bench outside my garage, putting on my socks and shoes – getting ready for a walk, I heard a stranger calling me.

“Meow. Meow.” 

I turned around to see where the voice was coming from and noticed one of the neighborhood cats, a pretty little gray cat. Almost desperately she called and called as she climbed the hill in my back yard, approaching me. Then she walked right up to my legs circling, talking, wagging her tail and telling me -  something I didn’t understand.

I am a dog person so I don’t regularly communicate with feline friends, even when they are neighbors. But this little girl was persistent. She would not leave me alone. She wanted something! 

My husband and I took off on our walk and the cat followed us as if we had invited her. She continued to talk. We came to the corner and she rounded it with us. We headed to the next corner and she hopped in front of us leading the way. Pretty soon she couldn’t keep up with our gate and we left her behind. She kept talking,  or crying.  I am not sure which and with one last desperate sprint attempted to catch up to us. Then she gave up.

We forgot about her.

She didn’t forget about us. She was waiting s when we arrived at our first corner and home she went with us, still talking! 

“What does she want?” I asked my husband, not that he is a regular cat communicator.

“I think she is hungry. I haven’t seen her family home this week.”  

That thought pierced my heart.

“Oh no!”

I found some snacks for her and poured a bit of milk into a saucer. She lapped it up and just like a dog wagged her tail. 

Takes a community to care for all the neighbors amongst us.