The one across the street, a mother of three rambunctious boys, has lately been sending one of the boys over with things she's cooked for dinner, a great minestrone soup just the other day. Some delicious enchiladas just a day before, and some doughnuts on Saturday morning she'd just cooked.
Then I get this phone call last week.....seems she was going to visit family in Arizona. "Would you mind putting the mail in?" No problem, we do that stuff all the time. Then...."oh, and um, would you mind letting the cat out in the morning and putting it back in in the evening, and it's food bowl is in the kitchen with the water bowl." all delivered in a rush of words.
Fine. Ok. When I told my oldest daughter she broke into inappropriate hilarity, if one can be said to do that via texting. See, I don't like cats. Not at all. I won't bother to explain why, let's just say I'd prefer to have a rabid skunk for a pet than a cat.
So now for the 4th day in a row, I go over and let it out.
Three more days.
Miao, meow...pur-r-r-r-r-r...rub...miao-meow.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the I-don't-like-cats-but-I'm-taking-care-of-one club. Honest to god, I feel your pain.
(Though, IF I wanted a cat, it would be a red tabby like that one.)
I can ship it, surface mail of course.
DeleteOkay,,,I fibbed. I like cats, most of them. But I don't want one in my house or yard. I do not like the one that has taken over my house.
DeleteI rescued her from a huge old tom that was trying to kill her. When I turned to go back inside after chasing him away, she zipped inside as soon as I opened the door. Didn't even know she was behind me. I'm taking her to a vet this weekend to see if she has a chip, and whether she's been spayed. After that, she goes to a shelter.
I still feel your pain, though.
Aw, c'mon, that cat is a beauty. Don't you just want to pet it?
ReplyDeleteSure. Ever read "How to massage your cat" by Alice Brock (Alice from A. Guthrie's 'Alice's Restaurant")? It'd be like that.
DeleteYou've been bamboozled by breakfast; duped by doughnuts; hoodwinked by homemade; cajoled by enchiladas; hornswaggled by hot tamales; mislead by minestrone and sweet-talked into babysitting a cat :)
ReplyDeleteHa! True, all of it.
DeleteI do believe Mr. Cat has an equal opinion of you, so expect a flick of the tail on your last duty day. Ms. Cat Owner may receive equal treatment. I must say, though, I've never known a cat to appear on schedule. You are dealing with one meticulous fellow, it seems.
ReplyDeleteYep, it does appear. In the evening I go over, there's bells on the front door, I open it, making the bell chime, the cat appears.
DeleteOr, the cat may sense that if it doesn't show, it can spend the night on the porch for all I care. It's got fur.
Ah, how sweet. The real question is, do you let it back in?
ReplyDeleteAnything to keep getting fresh, warm doughnuts on a Saturday morning.
DeleteHa ha ha! That's funny - clever neighbor!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful cat, though.
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, the cat's actually pretty easy to 'take care' of, I just let it in and out, and put food and water out.
DeleteI like cats. Ones that belong to someone else.
ReplyDeleteI don't even like those, but I'm a tolerant guy.
DeleteAt the risk of losing my easy going guy image on the internet a fellow blogger who admit to disliking cats has inspired me to opening admit my utter disdain for feral and "outside" domestic types.
ReplyDelete1. We had a neuter and declawed lovable cat for 18 years.
2. With our GSD put down numerous cats appeared in our yard and garage. He was kept in our yard by an invisible fence.
My wife and her bridge club witnessed numerous song bird and woodpeckers assassinations on our back deck and yard.
4. Aware that many song bird populations have drastically declined in this country due in part to cat predation, I approached our next door neighbor who feeds his "outside cats" in addition of the feral crew in the neighborhood to make adjustments including belled collars on his. He was unwilling to consider any changes. I told him the situation was "unacceptable."
5. A farmer friend of mine loaned me his live trap for raccoons. In a six week period last fall I removed 19 feral and free roaming house cats from my property. None had collars....
6. Wild and free range cats are aliens in our natural environment. They have a place in our homes and on farms etc. where they serve a working function. Otherwise..... no.
Heh....my buddy down the street, fed up with the cats digging up his new bulb plants in order to crap, put down large mouse traps, the big ones.
DeleteTB, while I don't share your birding instincts, ( I look at quail and get hungry), agree.