She'd followed Sandi, Kifah, and I on Monday and had slept on Kifah's porch on Tuesday night so we were fairly confident she was a stray. She followed me a second day and faced with that trust, I had to help.
No room at the humane society so we took her to the vet where no chip + no spay = stray. Inspired by Diane, the wonderful lady who rescued and cared for our first cat, Zed, we got the little sweetie shots and medication for her ear infection. We were now $160 in to a free cat with another $160+ to go for spaying and booster shots for a third cat we didn't need and couldn't afford.
Zed was our first cat since being rescued by Diane on Halloween 2012. He's converted us into cat appreciators. He's very sweet and a good mouser but was unhappy here- crying and scratching at the door to come in. I thought he needed a friend.
Zed
I had asked Diane to keep her eyes peeled for another stray for me this summer but the only one she found had leukemia and had to be an inside cat. So I went to the shelter and got Abbi, a former cat colony member who loves her life here. Unfortunately Zed was less content sharing his garage, his people, and his farm with an intruder. 
Abbi
When the third cat followed me, I thought maybe it was divine providence. Tim, less prone to mystical rationale for the appearance of 'free' cats, urged moderation. I slept on it and upon hearing Zed mewing pitifully outside the next morning, realized the solution. Zed didn't need a cat companion- he needed an inside home.
On Thursday Zed will be going to live at my counselor's office, House of Hope in St Croix Falls, WI, as her indoor-outdoor cat. We can see him every time we visit which is the kids' dream while he mouses and purrs which is Karen's dream and gets to live the good life which is his dream!
The third cat
I feel like the Cat Fairy getting to participate in all this happiness. And Tim is happy to be back to one cat- Abbi, who likes her life here, does her job efficiently and quietly, and eats the food I serve with great gusto.
Abbi on patrol
Lessons Learned
One, sometimes it takes a hypothesis or two, a failure or two, some time and cash, and some goofing around to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it. Zed wasn't lonely- he was unhappy. The third cat didn't magically appear for us- it was for our neighbors. Working drafts and learning curves and casting bread upon the water are all part of the eventual solution.
Two, 'free' animals are never free. And it is easy to allow the 'free' aspect of the animal to trump the 'good fit' aspect. The cat I intentionally sought out and which Mark chose is the best fit although I never would have gotten to that cat if not for the grace of the first one. I will both count the cost and be open to grace next time.
Three, it takes me about three of something- chicken coops, kinds of poultry, cats- to compare and contrast so I can make good choices.
Four, it is much, much more fun to err on the side of compassion and kindness and get to be a Cat Fairy than it is to refuse mercy and leave the cat on the side of the road. And as Tim so wisely points out, mercy can mean getting the cat to a shelter and doesn't have to mean adopting it myself or paying $160+ per 'free' cat.
I am even more grateful to Diane for getting Zed started for us and for getting us started with cats. It is a great honor to be part of the joy of paying it forward.
I may never get to be the Cat Fairy like this again which makes this magical fairy tale all the sweeter.
It is a great day to be a cat and an ever greater day to be a Cat Fairy!
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