I had never had, or even known, a cat in my long life. The day she arrived, in the hot summer of 2018, I was about to turn 65. That day would change my life. That day, my partner said,
“There’s a cat watching us by the shed!”
There she was, a brown creature with black stripes. I didn’t know the word ‘tabby’ back then. I opened the back door and off she scurried, over the fence and away. The next day, she was back, this time fast asleep, on the shed roof, under the blazing sun. As I watched her, she began to slide down, slowly, to the roof’s edge. As she neared her fall, I cried out, “Hey!”
In mid-air, she twisted and landed, as soft as a snowfall, on all four feet. She stared at me for a moment and then casually padded to the fence and leapt over. The next day found her sitting on the patio, looking into the kitchen. She moved her head, this way and that, as if checking for danger. It was such a charming movement that it touched my heart. I slowly opened the door, and she walked, cautiously, in. I gave her a saucer of water and a tinned sardine, after which she sauntered into the hallway and galloped upstairs. She came down, leapt on the sofa, and fell asleep. Toward evening, she left, returning after dark.
This happened every day. She would appear at the back door. I would feed her, and she would gallop upstairs and sleep, on a canvas shoe-box, under the bed, leaving after breakfast. Sometimes, when it grew dark, she wouldn’t return, and I would wait up until very late—and suddenly, she would appear. I couldn’t understand what was happening to me, why I was so worried that she wouldn’t return.
Sometimes, I would watch her and marvel at her silent elegance and grace. Everything about her started to delight me; the way she walked, the way her ears stuck up, and how she would lick her paw and wash her face – and watch me with her beautiful, green eyes. One afternoon, I watched, in amazement, as she climbed a ladder, onto the shed-roof and came down again, headfirst, without missing a step.
I found myself buying her toys, most of which she ignored completely. She loved the feather and bow, and she would chase it up and down the stairs and leap over garden chairs to catch it. As that summer wore on, I found myself beginning to love her, completely.
Then came that week’s holiday in Prague. I was worried sick about leaving her. What would she do when I wasn’t there? I took a large, cardboard box, waterproofed it with black bin liners. I cut a door in it, put a blanket inside, and left it on the patio. I returned home late and rushed to the box, just as she slipped out and leapt up at me.
As the summer wore on, toward autumn, we grew closer. She would lie on my lap until my legs went numb, and I didn’t mind.
I began to panic at the prospect of a week’s work in the Falkland Islands. I decided to put her in a ‘cat-hotel.’ I took her to the vet to get her chipped. To my horror, she already was! The owner contacted me, demanding her return. I offered him £1,000 for her. He refused, and I understood why. She left me that day, and I admit I cried.
A month later, my partner brought Mia, another beautiful tabby, into my life. I love her just as much, but will never forget Darling, the cat who changed my life. Thanks to her, I don’t love cats…I adore them all!
8 Responses
Sir John, what a positively wonderful, touching recount! You are so fortunate to have had an intelligent feline like Darling take a shine to you. And now her heart has taught you in no uncertain terms what it means to connect with a cat, something that can only crudely be described with words, however refined and erudite. You did a marvelous job with your tale, nonetheless, and every ailurophile who reads this knows what I mean. I hope Mia, too, will love you just as much. Bravo, Sir, and now continue down life's path, never alone!
We extend our gratitude to Sir Theodore Skingel. We are all deeply appreciative of felines here and concur that this narrative is beautifully composed, effectively depicting the captivating influence cats possess over us.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful story. I too met a homeless cat in 2018 who changed my life, with a few minor differences. She was not chipped (or spayed) and despite my efforts, no one claimed her, so after 3 weeks she was legally mine. That's when I said her name out loud for the first time – Bhelpuri.
I fell in love with her the instant she walked up to me in my garden. I was due to go on a week's vacation but I knew I would spend the whole time wondering if she would be there when I got back, so I cancelled the vacation.
Bhelpuri is very loving. She snuggles up to me on my bed, sleeps with her head resting on my foot when I watch TV, licks the water off my feet when I get out of the shower! But she has never been a lap cat – until this last week! After 7 years and 2 months, Bhelpuri finally lay on my lap the evening after Christmas, and has been doing it ever since. I am so blessed.
Have a wonderful life with Mia, and memories of Darling.
Wow, that is some kindness there, canceling your vacation! Not everyone would. Thanks for Sharing Bhelpuri’s story Duncan Sinclair. It sounds like you found each other! Please consider sending a good quality pic of your cat for our Cat of the Week contest: https://www.catster.com/submit-your-cat/ 🙂
I enjoyed the story about the cat that returned to the person’s house and she became very fond of it. At the same time, I was saddened to hear that she couldn’t keep the cat when the owners were contacted I guess cats and dogs are really part of the family.!
Thanks for your comment, Marion. Yes, pets are family.
Great story! I too have recently had a beautiful HUGE white male cat show up on my patio. He’s feral with no collar or chips for identification. He has blue eyes , which the vet described as some signs of a Siamese breed. He’s 12 lbs!
Anyway, he’s comes over in the afternoon everyday & I’ve been feeding him for the past 2 months! I have really bonded with him!
I just recently took him to the vet to get him checked out for shots & neutered. He comes home today, & i realized how much I missed him.
I’ve always had a cat, including now. I have a small Tuxedo indoor cat. She’s not very fond of this new visitor at our house, but that’s normal! The big white cat is an outdoor cat, but when it’s really cold I put him in a kennel with a blanket in my garage. It’s funny to see my little cat hiss at this huge cat, & he’s scared of her!
Cats are beautiful, unique creatures & im glad you had a chance to experience that, even later in your lifetime!
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story, Mary Camille Hansen. We agree cats are amazing!