What do you do?

What do you do when a homeless little beggar moves into your backyard and forlornly begins to follow your children around like a little shadow? Everywhere they turn they see this small, hungry creature who is starving for love, as much as for food. And to boot - he looks like the spitting image of one of their favourite movie characters - Milo of Milo and Otis.

So what DO you do? Well, after telling the children to stay away from this little waif as he could, after all, have rabies you go outside to get the rest of the groceries from the van and you see the little orange slip of a creature dash under the van. In futile you try to ignore him, but then his plaintive mew hits you in the heart and you furtively look over your shoulder to see if any of the kids are watching.

Seeing you are alone, you drop to your knees and call to him softly. When he tentatively come near only to shy away when you try to touch him, you reach into a grocery bag and pull out (shhhh - don’t tell anyone) a container of ice cream and then jump guiltily when your 19 year old son appears out of nowhere and asks “What are you doing there?”

Then, ignoring that question, you scrap a little ice cream off the lid of the container and hold your fingers out. The little kitten simply can not say no to the temptation dripping off of them and creeps near and, with the tiniest little tongue, cleans off your fingers and purring, allows you to pet him. Then, hoping for more of the same treat, the starving rascal climbs into your lap.

Before you know it, after admonishing the children that this extra mouth to feed MUST live in the basement if we are to keep it, you find Milo sleeping in the middle of YOUR bed, two floors away from the basement and the three adult cats - much like a scene straight out of Goldilocks, staring in confusion at this uninvited guest.