Picture from Hannah Barbera
While they are on their honeymoon, Mandi and I are looking after our next door neighbour's cats for a couple of weeks. Before we go any further I should point out that I am not promising the most riveting read today. There are two cats, a girl called Sylvia and a boy called Byron, and although I have seen them and interacted with them before they seemed a little wary at first. As neighbours we are in and out of each other's houses, usually to retrieve each other's dogs chasing each other around. There are two cats in both of our houses and we look after each other's cats when we go away. This is the longest that next door have been away so I hoped that the initial wariness would pass. Sylvia couldn't really care less as she just wants me to feed her with little interest in being friends. Byron has been hiding upstairs and because I am a soft touch when it comes to animals I have been taking his bowls of food and water and leaving them on the landing for him. I hope he doesn't expect this treatment all the time. Given how I didn't want pets and never had any inclination to have so much as a goldfish it is remarkable how much I tend to spoil the pets I have. Most Saturdays I buy treats from a stall called Doggy Deli, and take enough for Jack and his girlfriend Foxy who lives next door. The cats also get milk from the fridge every time I make a cup of tea, Jack finishes his food and looks at the biscuit barrel knowing that he'll get a reward for eating his dinner, and we alternate the biscuits between digestives, ginger nuts and custard creams so he doesn't get bored. I have even spoon fed him on occasion when he doesn't seem inclined to eat. As an added bonus of being one of my pets, when I am cooking bacon sandwiches on a Saturday morning I make enough to share out between them all and make Jack a boiled egg because he likes them.
Rather than just popping in the house and feeding the cats, we have both tried to reassure them by spending a bit of time round there so they get to know us and hopefully trust us. It has worked because now they meow for us when we are in and allow us to stroke them and make a fuss. The biggest relief is that Byron now comes downstairs to eat, which must mean I'm doing something right.
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