The cat came back!

This is kneesa.  She is an outdoor cat that is not ours.  2 summers ago she wandered into our yard and our hearts.  That summer she showed up in late august but returned a couple times a week.  Last year she came back in late June and visited almost daily.  She is the most adorable cat ever, very friendly, loves being petted and playing.  When I went outside last summer she was either already sleeping on our deck or close enough to come when called.  She was over so often that we were worried she did not have an owner.  We built her a makeshift cat house with a rubbermaid container and some hay.  She would cuddle in there when it was raining.  Some days I would spend a couple hours outside relaxing with her taking a nap on my lap.  When the weather started to cool she was still coming.  In order to find out if she had a home we bought a collar and put a note on it.  A nice older lady called and said she did indeed have a home but she loved being outdoors.  Her house was two blocks away so she must really like us to be coming back every day.  I fell in love with her, I bought her toys to play with and treats to give her.  One of the toys I bought was a little ball with a bell in it.  She never wanted to play with it when I was around, but in the middle of the night I could hear her out in the back yard chasing it around the deck :).  Her favourite thing to play with is the hay though, you drag it around the deck and she chases it.  When it got really cold she did stop coming around and we waited till spring hoping to see her again.  Sadly June, July and most of August went by without her coming around again.  We thought for sure her owner had moved away and given up all hope to see her again.  But then yesterday when I was outside BBQing there was movement under the patio table which startled me at first.  Then I noticed it was our kneesa cat!  I was soooo happy.  I quickly called GMF to come outside and he found some treats and the brush we bought for her and we spend an hour outside with her.  She was as adorable as ever.  Yes, as you can see from the picture she does follow us inside the house from time to time, and she wanders and explores.  I hope she keeps coming back again.