I'd like to introduce my neighbour who was around for a couple of weeks late last year.



Her name is Smokey. Yes, not much of a female name I know, but her fur is smoke coloured & she's owned by kids, so there's not much more explaining to do there!

I heard her crying early one week & looked over the fence to see this kitten, left alone in the backyard & she got so excited to see someone. That evening when I got home from work, she scurried from under the trees between the two properties & ran around my legs. I took the above shot during one of the few moments she wasn't trying to get some affection.

The house next door to mine is what I would describe as a "safe house". Owned by the Government, various children are cared for a time by Community Services whilst their parents are unable to. I suspect such situations as; when the kids are in danger or if their parents are awaiting trial or perhaps are already in the Big House!

There have been a few kids which have gone through since I moved in, but Smokey came with a family who were only in there for a week or two. They may be back, or I might never see Smokey again. Not that she'd mind, as I wasn't feeding her anyway! Cats really are completely self-obsessed!

Over the time she was in there, Smokey did pretty much everything she could to stay away from the kids, even climbing onto the roof, until the kids found a way to do so as well. To see a four year old kid running around the roof of a house, perilously close to plummeting to their death is not much fun, but I did have my camera ready just in case. Children dying in the protection of welfare.... Hmmm, ironic!

Getting to work was another challenge, as every time my roller door went up, she'd bolt from nowhere into my backyard & of course I'd have to chase her, because when the door comes back down, all the fences are too high for a kitten to get out again. She also managed to scoot between my legs as I opened the front door one evening. I didn't know she was around, until I saw this grey flash disappear behind my couch. Again, more chasing!

The family disappeared under the cover of darkness one night & left the kitten behind (& the backyard of the house in a disgraceful mess!). I can only assume someone came back to get her, otherwise I'd have to imagine she's found another family in the area to live with. I'm pretty sure her owners wouldn't be too fussed losing her &.... vice versa!