Almost!

    The small cat situation to date: Two weeks ago, on a Monday, a small cat turned up in my yard and whined at me but ran away before I could feed it. One week ago, on a Monday, the same small cat, tabby with fangs, turned up again and this time most emphatically let me feed it. Two days ago (bet you can guess what day that is without having to count back), my small friend turned up again and again happily tried to eat me out of house, home and cat food. And has stuck around ever since. I had the door open an inch for New Cat and Amelia to interact. New Cat hissed a little and scratched sort of half-heartedly. I think they could get along should I ever let New Cat in.
    Because stray cats can have feline leukemia, I can't let this cat in without a vet trip first. Also, I'm warned that male cats can give scratches that could mess Amelia up badly. And of course this might be somebody's very food-crazed pet cat. So the little weasel needs to be captured and taken to the vet.
    This morning, I put out the cat carrier with a bowl of cat food inside. My little friend wasn't falling for that. However, the whole top snaps off of the cat carrier and when I snapped it off, the little sucker went for the food. And was snapped in. Unfortunately, I hadn't practiced the maneuver beforehand and I messed up the door. I could prop it shut, but couldn't actually latch it. Having gotten used to a cat who won't even open a door when it's only partially closed, I thought that would be sufficient.
    It wasn't. While I was on the phone with the vet's office, the small cat (now named Houdini) escaped. I'm not sure it's going to fall for that trick again. But when I'd gathered the cat food in the usual bowl, it did come back and eat it. And hung around on the porch for a while. I opened the door an inch again, and while Houdini and Amelia didn't quite ignore one another, neither would approach either. Good sign? Bad sign? I just don't know.
    So I think we're at an impasse. I can't take the cat in unless I can have a vet check it for a microchip, feline leukemia or other bad stuff. I don't think I can trick it into the cat carrier again. And heaven knows I don't have the space or the histamine tolerance for another cat. So why do I think Houdini's moving in soon anyway?