Salem is a very special cat. I was participating in a cat rescue program when I found Salem in May 2000 and he was six months old. It was to be a catch and release program as he was a feral cat I had never met before. There were no toms in the area who even resembled this beautiful cat. When the cats were returned that evening, I thought there were two who could be socialized but the first one simply didn't want to have anything to do with me. Salem, on the other hand, simply curled up in my lap and purred. He was already giving so much love that it was amazing. I was caught in my own trap! Salem had already stolen my heart!

Salem and I had to come to terms about a few things: no spraying (he was already neutered), no chasing Princess (the cat who already lived with me), no scratching the furniture. Well . . . Princess intimidated him initially, but there is a ten year age difference and Salem wants to play, play, play!

I was reading in bed one night when I discovered a catnip mouse on my chest. What a strange thing. I threw it across the room without a thought. A few minutes later, Salem had returned it. What was he doing? I threw it again and he took off after it . . . a great return to me. I caught on quickly. He wanted to play catch/fetch. I threw it and he caught the mouse or simply did a great return to me! What an amazing cat! When I threw the toy, he would jump into a spiral and return the toy with one swat! He is an amazing tennis player! He does love to play!

Salem is the beautiful face I see every morning when I awake. He is curled up next to the wall at the head of the bed and he knows when I am waking. Salem opens those beautiful big amber eyes and might just as well say, "Good morning." After we spend a few minutes bonding, he heads for a window to check out the yard. He hasn't been outside since he was six months old, but he still does his daily security check.

Another thing I discovered about Salem is his love of water. I would find the water dish in some of the most unusual places and couldn't figure it out. Princess didn't play in the water or move her dishes around the house. Well . . . Salem plays in the water! He checks the level of the water in his dish before taking a drink. I even heard water splashing one day and he was in the bathroom just splashing away in the toilet water! Before you panic, the toilet was clean, but there was water all over the place! Who knew this amazing cat loved the water! Lesson learned: keep the lid down on the toilet!

Salem is a beautiful long-haired black cat who currently weighs 11 pounds. He eats just about anything, but would live on canned food if I would let him. He needs the dry food for his health. Salem drinks a lot of water, which is good for him. Keeps his kidneys clean.

Salem is quite shy. I didn't realize that cats could be shy. When Salem is feeling shy, he puts his head down (looks at the floor). Well . . . I just do the same and connect my forehead with his. I always look away first so he wins. When cats are in the "staring contest," the first one to look away is the one who loses! That's why I always let Salem win!

One evening there was a small earthquake which is no big deal in California. Salem had never experienced an earthquake in his short life and he jumped off the bed, bounced off the wall, then began exploring the floor of the cottage as if he would find something. He continued this for several minutes. I had to let Salem explore so he would feel safe again. Princess just looked at Salem as if he were a bit crazy. You had to be there!

We have definitely had a lot of fun in the five years we have been together and we certainly love each other very much. Life has a way of changing and it is no different for us. When we met, we lived in Boulder Creek, CA in a small cottage. The property was sold and I had to relocate taking both Princess and Salem with me. I was pushing it when I brought Salem with me, but thought Mom would learn to love him. I was completely wrong. And, to top it off, the niece who also lives here doesn't appreciate Salem one little bit. Truth is that I began to fear for his safety. The niece is extremely domineering and won't accept anything that is not her idea of a "good life" regardless of how it impacts others. So, began the search for a place where Salem is wanted, loved, and protected by everyone in the household. I will miss Salem terribly, but his safety comes first. I want to do whatever is best for this beautiful and loving Salem.

Success! Salem has a new home and will be there as of Tuesday, June 21, 2005. He will be so happy there with his new family once he settles in.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005:

I sedated Salem Tuesday at 4:45am and he was a bit upset with the shuttle ride to San Francisco. He truly freaked out when I had to take him out of the carrier so they could send it through the scanner. We did it in a hurry, though. Then we were in the last row on the plane over the wheels and he was rocking his carrier at take off, but that's when most first fliers are frightened. Salem was very quite all the way to Detroit. The baby on the plane was more noisy and smelly (diaper changes). We made the change in Detroit and then we had the row to ourselves so I simply put the carrier on my lap, opened one end, and put my arm in to comfort him the rest of the way.

Thia was at the airport and I knew her the minute I saw her! She is such a wonderful lady and I am blessed to know her and Miss Fay. Dave did the driving and I truly appreciate him. We got Salem to the house and opened both ends of the carrier. The felines at Thia's were truly gentle with Salem . . . they kept checking out the end where he was facing and ignoring the end where he was backing out. It was really pretty funny.

Let me tell you about dinner! Thia served lobster, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob! It was delicious! Thia is a wonderful cook! And I am learning the proper way to behave in Maine with guests and tourists! There is a code of behavior and, believe me, I don't want to be a tourist. ROFL!

Salem then spent the rest of the day in the bedroom closet . . . finally coming out after I was in bed and he climbed in bed with me. Still . . . he wasn't going to eat or drink any water. Not good. I don't believe that Salem really slept the entire trip. He was exhausted and truly frightened!

Wednesday, June 22, 2005:

Morning arrived and he went back into the closet. He still had food and water so we left him to rest. We went out to the light houses and I bought a few tourist gifts (got a new oven mitt for my Mom and absolutly nothing for the niece). Well . . . we went to the store and I got some Pedialite and forced some into Salem hoping this would encourage him to eat food and drink water. I even put ice in his water as this is something he truly enjoys! Thia went into the room with him and when she came out she said that he was hungry. So I went in and smooshed the canned food around with my fingers and he ate about 1 teaspoon of the food and drank a bit of water. He kept going back into the closet, but by this time he had to learn that he couldn't just stay there. He had to come out and meet his new family. He spent most of the day in the closet, but I got him out when I was in the room and he spent the night on the bed and finished the canned food during the night. Salem is eating food and drinking water now! That is a good sign and eases my mind a great deal.

Salem on the pillows at the head of the bed in Maine.

Thursday, June 23, 2005:

We spent the day with Salem . . . Thia cleared the living room of all other cats and he spent some time exploring but most of it under/inside the sofa! Salem did begin to relax when Thia held him . . . he was pushing his head toward her which is also a good sign for him. Means he's adapting and learning that he can trust her. He decided that the bedroom, including the bed, is his and he spent a lot of time at the head of the bed on the pillows. Still not eating a lot, but no longer going hungry. By the time I left he was still on the pillows and I said my goodbyes. Salem is such a beautiful feline and he is in a good place.

I will leave the rest of the story for Thia although I know that Salem spent the night sleeping with Thia and Gabriel (her wonderful cat who has the patience of Job with Salem). I know that I made the right decision . . . Salem is loved and will be well cared for . . . he is already claiming his place in the family and it's an excellent choice. Salem wants to be with the lady of the house! Naturally. Salem loves his women!

I took many photos, most of them of the felines, but I missed some. I want to add them to Salem's page so people can see his new family. Thia will be sending photos as she can get them when he settles in.

This is Salem's buddy, Gabriel, and he is an awesome feline.

Salem and Gabriel posing for the photo.

Romeo who weighs in at 22 pounds. He is such a lovable fellow.

Feeding time in the kitchen. Everyone present except Miss Lily and Salem.

This is the curious Leto in the catnip. He has six toes on each foot. Isn't that amazing?	This is Leto's sister, Ghanima. She likes to terrorize all the boys.
Duncan at Christmas inside the tree. Photo provided by Thia.	Alia at Christmas under the tree. Photo provided by Thia.

This is Miss Lily who has an attitude.
We can't repeat what she says.

I present Claudia, the happy Pomeranian.

Meet Oliver, the frisky.

Salem looking out his favorite window in Portland, Maine by Thia.

Salem posing for Thia. Is this an attitude, dude?

I received the following story through a group to which I belong and simply had to share it with you. This is proof of how much we love our beautiful furbabies.

The $100,000 Stray Cat
By ViAnn Meyer

One orphan kitty with golden eyes - it's hard to believe all he has inspired.

I've always loved cats. But until nine years ago, my pet cats suffered a high mortality rate. I decided that my next cat was going to live indoors only. Besides, I love wild birds, and this way I could be sure my cat wouldn't hunt birds or little woodland creatures.

But then came Oliver. My sister works at a veterinarian's office. One day she called up and pleaded with me to come see a six-month-old kitten that had been abandoned there. They were having trouble finding him a home. The other staff found him ordinary. They only kept him because he was a willing blood donor. It broke my sister's heart to see the little kitten offer his paw for the needle and then purr while his blood was being withdrawn.

I went to the office and within thirty seconds had fallen in love. The kitten had short but soft black fur with a white undercoat, a round, pudgy face and luminous golden eyes. He was dignified but affectionate. I instantly thought of the name Oliver, after the Charles Dickens orphan. Home we went - together.

But Oliver didn't want to be an indoors-only cat. He cried at the door paced around the house, and tried to run outside whenever we opened a door. After much family discussion, we decided to build an outdoor cat run, an enclosed area where Oliver could safely spend time during the day. With the help of my dad, a retired carpenter, we built a thirty-by-fifteen-foot structure that had chicken-wire fencing on its sides and top.

Inside the cat run was a long strip of grass, food, water, litter pan, toys, scratching posts, a planter with catnip, and plenty of perches and high shelves. Oliver adored it. He loved lying in the grass, basking in the sun, chasing bugs and watching birds fly by.

But that wasn't the end of it. Oh, no. The cat run overlooked our vacant, one-acre lot. Wouldn't it be wonderful, I decided, if we could grow a wildlife garden there to attract more creatures for Oliver to watch? So I read books and magazines, visited nurseries and went on garden tours to educate myself. I was a little nervous about tackling such an ambitious project - I'm rather shy, really - but, I reasoned, no one would ever see the garden but us.

I recruited my dad to help. He quickly became so enthusiastic that he began adding his own ideas. His contagious spirit spread to my other family members, and before I knew it, we were all out there clearing the field, preparing the soil, marking out paths and starting to plant. We put in trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, bulbs - thousands of plants over a two-year period. Dad built arbors, trellises, pergolas, benches, a pond with waterfalls and a bridge. We started collecting all sorts of garden décor - statues, stepping stones, fountains, planters, wind chimes, flags, birdhouses and wind vanes - all with cat designs. A friend even made me wooden signs saying "Meow Meadows," "Cat Country" and "Kitty Grazing Area." Everything was purr-fect!

And even that wasn't the end of it. A friend recommended our garden for Spokane's big annual garden tour. So on a hot August Sunday afternoon, I had five thousand people tour our garden. People went nuts over it! They didn't respond as much to the planting scheme as to the heartfelt emotion that went into it all. For weeks afterward, I was in the newspaper and being interviewed on TV. People called constantly.

Since that day, the Meyer Cat Garden is no longer our "little family secret." Over 10,000 people have visited it - everyone from nursing home residents to a tour group from a national garden convention. During my now well-practiced speech, I emphasize the importance of caring for your pets properly so they don't harm wildlife.

And wildlife we've got. As the garden has grown, it's attracted birds, frogs, squirrels, chipmunks, even raccoons, skunks and deer. I've grown, too. I'm now a master gardener and president of our local garden club, and I'm comfortable with both writing and public speaking. And our whole family has grown: Working on such a tremendous project has drawn us all closer together.

And what about Oliver? He watches it all contentedly through his cat run - his window to the world. Our family joke is that if we added up the cost of all the thousands of plants, cat decorations and hours of labor that went into the Meyer Cat Garden, we have easily spent over $100,000.

That's why we call Oliver our $100,000 stray cat.

But you know what? He was a bargain.

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