The Porch Cat

Journal

The cat showed up on a Tuesday. She didn't ask. She just stayed.

Walter had lived alone for three years, since his wife passed. The house was quiet. Too quiet.

The first night it rained, he watched her from the window. She didn't move. She just sat there, waiting.

So he put out a bowl. Then a blanket. Then he started talking to her. 'You're persistent, I'll give you that.'

Within a month, she was sleeping in his wife's chair. He let her. Somehow, it didn't feel wrong. It felt like the house was breathing again.

He took her to the vet. Got her shots. Named her Tuesday. 'After the day you chose me,' he said.

Now they sit on the porch every evening. He tells her about his day. She purrs. The neighbors say Walter smiles now.

She never asked to come in. She just waited until he was ready. Some cats don't need a home. They make one.