Kittens are great, but...

Neo is my lovable old man at the ripe old kitty age of 14. Ixie is my absolute most adorable kitty ever. This past summer, a new cat came into my life, quite by chance. 
My husband and I found our house in the winter, closed on it a few weeks later, and moved in during very early spring. Neo and Ixie, were right there with us. They were probably hoping this was it for a while. To be honest, the human members of the household were also tired of moving. As we settled into the house, cold and snow reluctantly gave way to spring. Then summer finally started making an appearance.
In June, I was filling our bird feeders (with Ixie supervising), and I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. I noticed a black cat making his way toward me. "Hmmm, that's odd. None of the other neighborhood cats are this friendly." This little guy came right up to me, mewed in heart-melting fashion, and proceeded to rub against my leg. I petted the visitor, not thinking much of it. We had at least two "transient" cats that came through our yard on a pretty regular basis. I figured this was transient number three.
I finished with the bird feeders and Ixie walked with me toward the door. Then came the new cat! He seemed determined to come in too. Ixie wasn't thrilled...she wheeled around and hissed. It was enough to buy me and her time to get into the house w/out the other cat. I am wary of strange cats since I don't know if they are healthy, and I won't put my resident cats at risk for disease, even though they are vaccinated. I noticed the poor fella was standing on the window AC unit, desperate to get my attention.
I filled a bowl with water, and found some cat treats Ixie didn't care for. I took both outside for the visitor, and he nearly drowned himself getting a drink. As for the treats, I don't think he chewed them - down the hatch they went instantly. Then he looked to me for more. That's when I started to wonder if this cat was a neighborhood wanderer or something sadder: a homeless housecat. 

How could I refuse a face like this?

I told my husband about him, and he met the newcomer when he arrived home. We both agreed that we needed to take him to the vet to see if he had a microchip. Perhaps someone had moved or their cat had escaped the confines of home and was lost. The vet scanned him and no chip. I made an appointment for the following day to get him a full checkup. They also gave me a rough assessment that was he was maybe 2 years old and generally in good health (no signs of disease in his coat, eyes, ears, or mouth). 
As I drove home, I pondered what to call our new cat. I have a very strong superstition about renaming any animal (hey, I'm Irish...superstition comes with the ancestry). In my past, any pet I renamed eventually died within a year or two. Since this cat came to me unnamed, I figured a name would come to me sooner or later. The next day his name came out of the blue: Murphy. 
Murphy has been with us ever since. As I fed and cared for him, he began to fill out and gain weight and muscle. The shy but affectionate stray cat in June became a 13lb miniature panther by early fall. He also proved he was deadly.  He wiped out an entire generation of new rabbits, two or three birds, and various other things that didn't have enough body parts to make a positive ID. Thank goodness he's a cat; otherwise the police would have arrested this prolific serial killer.

Murphy lies in wait for the chipmunk that lives in this hole

The interesting thing about Murphy is he's all grown up, but he's still young and energetic. I like to say I got a kitten for the price of a cat. What does that mean? Basically I have a kitten (tons of energy) tempered by the maturity of an adult cat. I don't have to worry that he'll go sticking his head in the mayo jar, chew up all the electrical cords, or lick paint off the walls. Don't get me wrong...kittens are TOTALLY cute. But for me, they are a hassle until they grow up to be mature, wiser adults. After we adopted Ixie a few years ago (she was 6 years old when we got her), I told myself that I will only adopt adult cats from now on. Everyone wants cute little kittens. The thing about kittens...they grow into cats. 
When you're looking for your next feline companion, think about adopting an adult cat. Let someone else "play" off the depreciation, and you'll have a wonderful, well-adjusted life-long friend.

Tiger lilies and a panther...life is good

A loving home makes for a peaceful kitty