What a difference a year makes

One year ago, I got home from my office retreat to find a small, orange kitten had joined the family. Yes, it has been one year since Orlando first made his way up our front driveway, past our front door and into our home, where he has remained ever since. My attempts to get him adopted were thwarted by my mother who refused to let him go.

So we kept Orlando. We fed him his 3 meals a day and he got to sleep in comfortable baskets or on the sofa rather than on the streets.

Today, the small, feeble little kitten with the distended stomach and furless belly has become a handsome boy with gorgeous orange fur. The haunted look in his eyes has gone, and he no longer eats as though every meal is his last. He is a sturdy cat, bigger than his two "uncles" and has started displaying alpha-male tendencies, chasing them and bullying them. He can be a little imperious and demanding, raising his little voice whenever he wants his food or a door opened for him.

But he retains still many cute little tricks from his kittenhood, like rushing up the stairs with you, to stop on the step just in front of you and hold his head up for a pat. He has a signature "flop" - which starts with rubbing his head on your foot, followed by a sideways forward roll his body and ending up with his body resting on both your feet. Is that cute or what.

So for all those people who are wondering whether they can cope with adopting one more stray cat - wonder no more. This is one good deed which really carries its own reward.