Cleopa, my adopted cat, is nestled between my elevated legs at this very second.

She can hear the clicking of my keyboard, which is only six inches from her pink nose.

A picture of relaxation and serenity, she is a far cry from where she started in life.

She was born a wild cat, part of an urban brigade that lives off the land and the largesse of sympathetic humans.

She use to hang out on my front porch, along with three of her baby sisters. They were the most skittish bunch you can imagine. At first, they