I trapped Zen at the end of September 2006. Her socialization went so well so fast that I was inspired to trap a second cat or kitten, whatever would allow itself to be trapped. I knew there were still stray and feral cats and kittens out there near my building because the cat food in the outside bowl I had hidden kept being eaten. I and other residents would still see various cats, once in a while. As I prepared to trap again I started to call this to-be-rescued cat or kitten "Mystery Cat #2."

At first I was unsure what I would do with Mystery Cat #2. Perhaps if it was a very feral adult I would do TNR: trap, neuter and return it to outdoors, to help reduce the feral population explosion. I could also trap, neuter and adopt out to a carefully screened person, freeing me up to trap again. I do not believe that all things are pre-determined, but I gradually began to feel that there was a lot of destiny around Mystery Cat #2, and that he or she would be the ideal companion for Zen.

I prepared for this trapping of Mystery Cat #2 for over a month, in part because Zen had to be finished with her PCR shots first. I needed to have the trap borrowed, the vet date scheduled, the cage ready where she would be for a while as I began to work with him/her. Fortunately I like to plan, but the waiting part drove me a little nuts. Despite all of my planning and preparation, when I finally lifted the towel to look into the trap I was just so surprised to see these huge round innocent eyes staring up at me. They reminded me of big doe eyes so that's how she got her name Bambi.

The photo at the top of this page is my first picture of her, taken 12/14/06, less than 48 hours after her trapping and only 24 hours after her spay surgery. It was taken with a camera phone. I think she's still handling some discomfort and exhaustion from her surgery, which will pass. At the Tree House clinic I was told that she is more than 1 year old and weighs 6lbs 9oz, which is about what Zen weighs now. She looks bigger because she is a long haired cat. When she goes back in 3 weeks for her second PCR shot I can/will request a more exact age estimate from the vet there. The second photo on this page is Bambi sleeping in what I call her ragdoll pose. At the time I'd been reading next to her cage for a while, she'd eaten, and decided to trust me enough to get some decent sleep. It was taken 12/15/06, my second full day with her at home, with a camera phone. There are a ton of updates on the Three Minute Updates - MOST CURRENT page giving info on Bambi's progress.