Kitties

I did not grow up as a cat person. We always had dogs...my parents are not overly fond of the cat. When I moved out at 18, my mom found one for me (Baby Kitty). He and I got along well and a few months later I felt bad about how much I was working and not home and so I went to the shelter and got him a friend, my beloved Buddy Kitty. We lived in harmony for years.
One night stumbling home drunk from The Paisley Pineapple with CRH, I found a kitty. He was tore up (as the kids say). So, I felt sorry for him at 2am and got CRH's neighbor to agree to keep him if I would take him for an initial vet visit. Off we went to the emergency vet because this kitty was in quite a state...where the vet proceeded to tell me that the cat was going to die and charged me like $150. I have not ventured forward again to "rescue" anything.
Then, CRH and I moved in together...into a 900 square ft. house (much the same as we live in now) and the sheer volume of his 2 cats and my 2 were enough to drive me batshit. Slowly, we farmed them out and then Buddy died when I was pregnant. We lived in a blissful pet-free (by this I mean fur free) home until last Christmas.
Last year, I finally decided that it would be ok if Santa brought a kitten. Eve was really starting to ask for a pet and our house was big enough that I felt I could handle a kitty...and we had a cleaning lady. We are all very allergic, but we decided that we thought we could handle one. Then, we moved to Hawaii...900 square ft house and NO cleaning lady...but Buddy is coming at the end of this month and we are all happy for his arrival. He's an awesome cat, much as his predecessor was before him.
This saga is going somewhere...I promise.
Last night, I came home from the after hours clinic with Eve and heard a meowing sound in the bushes. It was rainy and I couldn't see anything and quite frankly I was done at that point anyway. This morning I still heard it and got worried that maybe a cat was stuck back against the wall or something. So, my stupid self goes looking for it...and I found it. It's the cutest grey kitty. He did not want to come out to me this morning at all. I thought he did and I spent for freaking ever trying to coax him out with milk and water. I was finally able to reach in and get him out of the tangle of bushes and he darted right back in. I was worried that he was starving, but I didn't have anything to feed him. I left a thing of water out and went on about the day. Tonight, I get home and he's out. He's running around the yard, happily. My friend, Khristy, had given me a can of cat food just in case and he sucked up his evening portion quickly and has yet to leave. He has meowed EVERY single second since then. He started in the front yard and I finally opened the door and let him in for a second (until I started worrying that he might pee in the house)...huge mistake. He has stalked us since then. The cat even scaled the fence around the back yard, came around to the screen door, meowed and meowed, and climbed the screen door at one point in an attempt to get back inside. I think Buddy may have a friend when he gets here...damn it.
Did I mention that I also think he has fleas??