Bud's arrival

Bud was our own stray.
The ladyfriend and Rico were out for a walk one evening in the spring when we heard, amidst the garbage cans outside a house down the block, the mewling of a kitten.
It was Bud, of course.
Rico at first was adamant that we didn't need another cat (little did he know), but the ladyfriend went home and got some cat food and a bowl.
Once he'd eaten, of course, he wouldn't leave us for a second, but preceded us, weaving back and forth to make sure we were still back there, all the way home.
At first we didn't want to expose Flora to this stray, not sure what he might be carrying, so he was supposed to spend the first night outside. By midnight, of course, we had to figure something else out, so he migrated into a large closet in the living room, with a big screen door braced in the doorway. That way the two cats could talk, which they did incessantly through the screen, but couldn't have real contact.
That lasted only until we got him to the vet, who proclaimed him non-toxic, gave him his shots, and we took him home. (The neutering we saved for another visit.)
They have been best buddies ever since.
Bud has remained as mercurial and hyper as ever, but he loves Rico (at least as long as I scratch him), and that's good enough.