Cattery Experience

I’m still working on updating my blog. Clearly, I forgot to cancel the server subscription—more precisely, I forgot to turn off the auto-renewal—so I’ve successfully forced myself to keep writing for another year.

Yesterday marked the end of a week-long cat-sitting experience. I didn’t expect saying goodbye to the cat would be so hard. Out of all the cats I’ve taken care of, this one was truly special.

When he first arrived, he hid under a cabinet where I couldn’t reach him. He wouldn’t eat, drink, or use the litter box. Occasionally, he would come out for a little walk, but the moment I got close or made a sound, he’d dart back under the cabinet.

On the third day, to my surprise, he finally stopped being afraid of me. He started accepting treats from my hand. Gradually, he began responding to his name. By the fourth day, he would come running when I called, sit beside me, and let me pet him. If I stopped, he’d nudge his little head over again, asking for more.

On the last night, maybe he sensed it was his final day with us. He meowed non-stop outside my bedroom door, trying to come in and play with me. We stayed firm and didn’t let him in. The next morning, as soon as I opened the door and said, “Good morning,” he jumped onto my bed and curled up next to me, joining me for a lazy start to the day.

While I was out working that day, my boyfriend called me in a panic—he couldn’t find the cat. Twenty minutes later, he found him hiding inside the wardrobe. This clever little guy knew how to open doors, sneak snacks off the table at night, and generally do things that made us laugh. He got especially close to me, which made my boyfriend a bit jealous. He’d grumble, “I’m the one feeding him and buying him treats—why won’t he let me pet him?”

This cat is both sensitive and curious. You need to patiently wait until he’s ready to come close—only then can you touch him. My boyfriend’s impatient approach just annoyed him. I would say good morning and good night to him, tell him when I was leaving, and greet him when I came home. Then I’d just sit quietly nearby and wait. That worked wonders. From watching me from a distance to curling up next to me and falling asleep, he eventually showed me a side of him that was completely relaxed and unguarded.

Now that he’s gone, I keep feeling like he’s still standing by the door, waiting for me to call his name. When he struggled and resisted going home with his owner, I couldn’t help but wonder—maybe he really did like it here more.