It was in April 2020 when my neighbor alerted me that she had seen my indoor cat outdoors running around. This couldn’t be true for several reasons – most of all because if the cat gets out, I’m usually running around trying to catch it.

A few days later, I saw the cat she thought was mine basking in the sunlight. It was feral. So, a few evenings later, the cat somehow got inside my house to eat the food next to the door I’d put down. I named her ‘Suzie Q. I Love You’ or just ‘Suzie Q.’ for short.

Suzie became an indoor outdoor cat after that first evening inside. While the ‘Cat Daddy‘ says there’s no such thing as both in/out door cats, Suzie Q. had to be. The first morning after sleeping inside she darted at sunrise, running into the windows with big head clunks. Ouch! She also shat on my white faux lamb rug (my fault – I didn’t show her the litter box).

As Suzie Q. became accustomed to in/outdoor living, she started bringing me gifts. A colleague shared that was a good sign. She brought me a mouse, small bird, and lastly a horny toad.

Here’s a photo of the horny toad gift.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Love, Suzie Q.