Cat-Sitting, Continuing

      Still looking after my friend's cats.  Until a few days ago, there were three I was sure of -- black cats, well-behaved, one of which was a long-legged, youngish tomcat who liked me, an older female cat who was okay with me if I had already been smoothed on by the first one, and a third -- an elderly, one-eyed tomcat -- who would only watch from a distance.   Plus a likely fourth cat, grayish with white paws, that I have only seen as a blur.

      The female had some tangles, which I have been slowly working on brushing out.  She's not a big fan of the brush.  Then one day I found her in one of her favorite spots, fur all smooth, collar missing.  The friendly tom had managed to shed his collar earlier, so I wasn't surprised -- until I went to the basement, and the female cat with tangled fur and a nice pink collar was asleep on the washing machine.

      Yes, there's a fifth cat.  After sending a photograph, my friend confirmed the cat's name, and concluded that her other friends at the cat refuge had overlooked that cat.  She's the smallest of them all, a bit shy but friendly.

      I have no idea how many cats she had in the house before the refuge rounded up some of them.  They were all well looked after.  Her house was always neat and clean and in no wise odoriferous.  I had only ever noticed a few cats.

      Three of the cats like me pretty well now.  The gray cat is a mystery.  The one-eyed cat remains wary, though he watches me from less of a distance every day, especially when the others are getting attention.