It was two weeks after his nip day that Boris turned up again. He looks so much like Alice, a skinny tabby cat, that it took me a blurry early-morning moment to do the math and realize I had too many cats on my porch.

He’s been hanging out for a few weeks now. The rest of the colony seems to accept him now that he’s not oozing testosterone and male issues. I can pet him sometimes if he’s surrounded by other cats getting pet.

I’m pretty sure he’s a litter mate of Alice as well. She snuzzles him and ducks down into his side fur for comfort. Which is great for her because she obviously desperately wants a family and comforting. And he skulks around, looking to her for how this new family colony works.

He is still slithers around cautiously. He slithers up to Voldemort on his belly, asking for acceptance. And when I get home from work, or peek out the front window, Boris is in one box on the porch and Alice is in another box. It’s a tradition, it seems, that cats working their way into the colony spend a great deal of time on the front porch, in the epicenter of activity, learning how the colony works and earning their place in the family.

Hopefully Boris sticks around. I’ve nipped so many cats that I never see again, it’s nice to see the ones that stick around so I Can be reminded that this makes a difference to them. One day Boris will be a chunky, sassy boy. And I hope he forgets his early days of desperation.