I just came back from the vet with what I thought was my cat, but looks like, isn’t.
As you may know, my wife died last December, and my daughter moved away taking 2 cats with her. I was left with one, my cat, so to speak, as I first let her in the house 2 years ago when it was cold and she was freezing. She had been a frequent visitor outside up to that point.She’s been with us all that time. She’s been perfectly healthy. We let her out and she goes for hours …somewhere…and always comes back and eats and sleeps here. Usually sleeps in bed with me or cuddles on the sofa.
Well, anyway, I took her to the vet to get an EU passport in case we want to go…somewhere..maybe move to Italy since I’m trying to relocate.
Turns out…she has a chip. Someone else owns her a block away..but in all this time she never went back.
Now I’m waiting for the call and I will probably lose her. Really sad…
It will make it easier to find a new house and I know I can always get another cat. But I’m attached to this one now…Bah.
Even if the cat goes back today, cats choose where they want to be so may well come right back at which point a deal maybe in the offering fingers crossed for you
This scary exercise made me think about choosing an animal. I have known 4 cats in my life. The 2 that my daughter has, I don’t particularly like. I mean, I like them, but one has an annoying habit of waking me up at 5am to be fed. He also shreds anything he feels like, like leather couches and wooden doors. The other one just doesn’t seem to particularly like ME, for some reason, though I saved his life. Maybe some man beat him or something. Then my daughter had another cat briefly, that was like all over her, like white on rice. Too needy.
But my cat (now really my cat), I really like. She’s around just enough, she’s affectionate without being in my face. Doesn’t eat much- no bad habits . I open the door she goes out ..comes back later ''Did you have a nice day? Catch any lizards? No? Have some crunchies and lie on the couch next to me. Or make pizza on my legs and sit there. As you wish. OK ..better? … Just right.
How does one pick out a cat like this? What if you choose one you don’t really like?
I put in a bit of effort “training” ours. It’s not like training a dog: you have to identify what it wants to do and divert that to what you want.
And be consistent and persevering, because it can take up to two weeks to drop a habit like waking you up in the morning. Ours will still wake up with the light, but now comes for a cuddle and then settles down in the crook of my arm, which usually allows me to get back to sleep.
Next door’s cat is still a work in progress. He is unlike any cat I’ve known, resisting all my friendly overtures, although he’s like that with everyone I’m told.
I’m sure there are limits with cats. I can’t think of anything I would want this particular cat to do. Use the toilet instead of the box? She barely even soils the litter in the box…
A match made in heaven, obviously, I like cats as I like all animals really, but have never been owned by one.
One. we called One-Eye for obvious reasons used to walk through the house in summertime and briefly kiss each dog she met on the way. Never any trouble, perhaps she took them by surprise.
We had the opposite problem, with a cat that seemed to have adopted the neighbours so that when we moved they asked if they could keep it and we were happy for that. But after just a few weeks they asked if we could look after it while they were away in Jamaica for an extended period, andon their return they resisted all communication (we were in Oxfordshire, they in SE London) and so it stayed with us after all.
Our previous cat was just dumped at the top of the road, lived in our garden for a couple of days quite anxious but managed to get it to come for food and then we had it live with us until it passed away.
This belongs in the cheerful news thread now, but since I started it here, I will continue.
The previous owner did indeed follow through with her promise and officially gifted me the cat legally through I-CAD. Since the cat had been sterilised (spayed) and had the chip, I offered to pay her for those expenses, but she refused. We have traded SMS and pictures of our other animals and I have interesting pictures now of Lyuba’s (formerly Nala) brother and mother. I did a walkabout in the neighborhood and found the owner’s name on a mailbox about 300M from our house, on the same block, so I know how she got here. What is interesting to me is why she never went back. It is possible that she went back, I suppose, but the owner may have been working. I don’t know.
But anyway, I am very happy to have this cat to help me over the sad and lonely times since my wife died and my daughter moved back to Paris to finish her studies. I don’t really know the mindset of the owner- was she glad to get rid of this cat (she has a cat and a dog and her mother has 3 cats), or did she miss her dearly and decide to help me? I’m also feeling guilty since I unintentionally stole her cat (In retrospect, we should have taken her to the vet early on before we got attached to her, but she was never sick). I’m going to assume the latter and try to give her a suitable gift, now that I know where she lives. I’m thinking of an Amazon gift card, though trite, at least it should be useful to get pet supplies.
Photos below. Mom and Kitten Lyuba (formerly Nala…she doesn’t answer to either)
