It’s just over a year since I first met and wrote about Hibbert, the ‘stray’ cat who came into our lives unexpectedly in January and then left some 6 months later, just as abruptly.

I still put cat food out every night. The 2 original stray cats are now reduced to 1. He’s big, white and hairy, and a few weeks ago we decided he should at least have a name, and settled on Leonard.

Even though he’s been coming for years he’s still very timid, and I banished all ideas of adopting him long ago. Some nights he arrives so regularly you could set your watch by him, other times I won’t see him for days. Most nights the food is eaten, but if I don’t see him, I never really know by whom.

Last night was freezing cold with lying snow. The food had been out since teatime, un-touched. It was just approaching midnight and I was making my way to bed.

I flicked on the outside light which revealed a small tabby cat tucking into the food. Normally the light going on alarms or alerts any creature that might be there, but just like Hibbert 12 months ago, this little guy was far too interested in the food to notice.

I watched for several minutes, he/she never looked up once. As far as I could see he seemed in good condition. I tapped very gently on the window, he looked up but, unlike Hibbert, he was gone in an instant. I’ve rarely seen a cat react so quickly or move as fast.

Will we ever meet again? I don’t know, I certainly hope so. For the split second that our eyes met, I saw a cute face, and was struck by how small his head was. Adolescent or just a small cat, I don’t know.

I went to bed with a strong feeling of deja vu, and thoughts of Hibbert. Watch this space, but don’t hold your breath.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 10:25 am and is filed under Cat Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.