More About The New Kid
posted in Cat Stories |Over the years I’ve known many cats. All different shapes, sizes and temperaments and all have had a varying attitude to food. Some have had large appetites, others small, some liked tinned food others preferred biscuits. Dulcie even liked to crunch on dried fuchsia leaves!
They have all taken a passing interest in human food, but apart from things like chicken, milk and fish, most things were of no interest to them once they had been properly investigated.
However, this new kid on the block takes food to a completely new level.
In the early days his eating was quite simply frantic. After the first couple of meals I was worried he’d make himself sick gobbling like that, so fed him in smaller portions. He appeared desperate for food. I can’t put into words how excitable he became at the sight of a food bowl or the sound of a box of biscuits.
Fortunately this frenetic feeding style has calmed down, or at least I thought it had.
A few mornings ago he arrived early, before I had eaten my own breakfast, so I fed him and then got a bowl of cereal for myself. Due to a health issue I use soya instead of milk, but obviously this isn’t immediately apparent to a cat.
As soon as I started to eat he was all over me trying to get his head in my bowl. I somehow managed to finish eating and offered him the dregs of soya fully expecting him to recoil from it when he discovered it wasn’t milk.
To my surprise he lapped it up excitedly and then wanted more! Soya isn’t good for cats, so he didn’t get more and won’t be getting more in the future. I didn’t think too much about this incident until yesterday.
It had been a beautiful day, sunny and quite mild for the time of year. I’d been busy all day, and at about 3pm decided to have my afternoon cuppa sat in the garden. This daily ritual involves a big cup of tea made with soya and a bar of chocolate. Yesterday it was a Twix.
Once again he was all over me trying to get at my afternoon treats. It really was quite hard work fending him off. Not long after I was just too late to stop him catching a mouse, which he proceeded to eat, leaving only the heart and liver behind in a neat little pile.
I like all animals so it’s at times like this I wish I didn’t love cats so much.
He’s also learnt how to get into the conservatory and often goes to sleep curled up in the wheelbarrow which I store in there during winter.
I’ve spoken to my neighbours and the post man, but no-one knows where he has come from. Apparently he also sleeps in one neighbours stable and anothers hay store.
Cats are opportunists and survivers and this little guy is proof of that.
