Cats Behaving Badly
I’m not a cat person, not a pet person for that matter. Apart from a rabbit called Bobtail that we kept in the backyard, we didn’t have pets has kids, I guess they were an unaffordable luxury when your old man is working all hours just feed his family.
My siblings don’t have pets either. Sadie on the other hand, grew up with cats and in the absence of parental love, they provided her with some degree of comfort and security.
While she is in the UK touring, I am home alone — apart from the cats. It’s been almost four weeks and my relationship with them fluctuates from me developing a Messiah complex and being followed constantly around the house by two little disciples … to them ruling the roost and forcing me to go to my room, when it’s clear they would prefer if I wasn’t in their space.
Some nights I hear Mingus come home, and I wonder what time it is, where he’s been, as it’s quite late and does he want some dinner? It’s as if we are all housemates trying to get along best we can, tolerating each other’s habits.
Kitten struts around, jumping on my lap when I’m trying to work, demanding I give her my undivided attention, Mingus constantly yowls to be fed.
Sometimes I feel like I am going mad. Everywhere I look, or go in the house, one of them is there, more often than not anticipating what I’ll do, or where I’ll go next, before even I know.
Mingus has developed a severe gum disease and drools quite a lot. I feel sorry for him as the vet told us he is in considerable pain. She gives him shots of cortisone and then we have to follow-up with tablets.
I am charged with this task while Sadie is away, of course I feed and care for the cats when Sadie is home, but she is the one that really looks after them, I kinda tolerate them, as they do me and for most part we all get on well together.
