I am happy to report that we were finally able to catch her. Yes, I said "her". Tom was right about her gender and he decided to name her Misty. We took her to the vet to get her vaccinated and spayed. Then, Tom kept her out in the garage for a few days afterwards. She was still quite skittish, so I suggested we bring her into the house and keep her for a while to help her become better acquainted with us.
This worked out well. She liked being petted and seemed to gain trust in us. We eventually decided it was safe to let her outside. So, we let her out early one morning, but kept her food inside the house. She appeared to relish her freedom and disappeared into the weeds and bushes across the fence, but she was at the door again that evening. Upon being let in, she high-tailed it up the stairs to the guest bathroom where her food was located.
We have kept to this routine and she has adjusted well. Here is a picture of her being an indoor cat.
We want to keep her inside at night because there are too many dangers lurking after dark for a little kitty, like her, to be out. Coyotes, foxes, bobcats and even owls will prey on cats. So, for her own safety, we keep her inside at night. Now, this is against her will, you understand. She would much rather be out there in the dark herself. In fact, if you are not careful when you open an outside door, she will slip out before you know it. For this reason, Tom has taken to calling her the "Gray Ghost". Fortunately, the times when she has escaped the confines of the house at night, we've been able to catch her or entice her back inside with food.
Also, my allergies seem to be tolerating her presence very well. Perhaps this is because she does not come in our bedroom, but prefers to stay in the living room or upstairs near her food bowl. At any rate, "so far, so good" and I am enjoying having a cat around the place again.
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