A Home from Home

Continuing Cat Month, here’s a fictional piece from the viewpoint of a family pet. Although not based on any cat in particular, a couple of the anecdotes are inspired by my cousin’s Siamese and a friend’s tortoiseshell whose photo is featured and used with permission of her owner.

A Home from Home

The Diary of a Tortoiseshell Cat

Tuesday Evening

Oh no, it’s that time of year again! I should have guessed! The weather’s warmer, the children have been off school for over a fortnight and the suitcases have come down from the loft. This must mean the family will be going on holiday – again. What will become of me? I know; I shan’t be allowed to go with them. I shall be palmed off – on my own holiday at Kitty Kennels. I’ve been there before and I am NOT going again. I’m nearly three and it’s time I made my own decisions. I shall put my paw down firmly. Tom, the cat down the road made such a fuss last time he went there his family have had to take him with them on their holidays since then, so I shall follow his lead (not that we cats will tolerate leads, as dogs do, so perhaps you can regard that as a feline pun!). When I was at Kitty Kennels last year the food was so awful (different make of cat food from the high standard one I’m used to). I refused to eat it, till they gave me fried fish. Now that was more like it, so for the rest of the week I turned my nose up at any meal they offered me and by the end of each day fried fish it was. You have to use psychology in these circumstances, it’s the only way.

Thursday Evening

We’re nearing the weekend now and I’ve been sulking in corners for a couple of days. There have been concerns about me but I’ve been eating well so they have come to the conclusion that I am in good health. I don’t want to go to the vet so I had all my meals like a good cat, then refused to play with any of them and sat in a corner. They’re a nice family and treat me well, except when their annual holiday comes around. Then anywhere but with them is good enough for me, they think.

Hang on a minute, what’s this? The cat basket. No, not Kitty Kennels, or the vet’s – not sure which is worse. I’ll run out through the cat flap – just watch me. Oh no! It seems to be locked and now, oh I might have guessed, I’m being placed in the cat basket. They’ve put me down in the hall and through the open door to the living room I see my day bed has gone, as has my pole with the high platform seat. What are they doing – getting rid of me altogether?  I’ll yowl so loudly then mew softly and plaintively so they won’t have the heart to take me anywhere.

None of my ploys worked. I’m now in the car and John is driving me somewhere – just me and him so I suppose it’s Kitty Kennels again. What a stupid name! Don’t they know that cats never inhabit kennels; it’s only dogs that will agree to go inside one of those contraptions? I just don’t deserve it. A tortoiseshell cat of my superiority is not able to cope with living outside the family home.

That was a short ride – Kitty Kennels took much longer to get to last year, so where are we? I’ll soon find out and once I’m let out of the basket I’ll be off, making my way back home. We’re in a front garden and he’s rung the doorbell. And look who’s opened it!  Auntie Sheila! She visited us last week with her husband Uncle Peter and she made such a fuss of me, I didn’t want her to go. Could it be that I am to have my holiday with John’s sister? Now, that might not be so bad. They seem to have moved to our town recently, something to do with a new job for Uncle Peter and they were talking about the new room they’d bought for their new house. How can you put a new room inside a house already full of rooms? It wouldn’t fit into another room. Sometimes I despair of people and how illogically they think!

My basket’s been put down on the floor and opened. Auntie Sheila has lifted me out and is giving me a cuddle, asking me, “Fleck, would you like to see the new room?” I knew she’d be showing me, whatever sound I made, so I’ve kept quiet. She’s carried me through the living room and into another room. It looks so big and spreads across the back of the house and overlooks the garden. But even better than that it’s full of interesting things – my bed, my pole with the seat and some toys. Aah, that’s where John must have gone. When he got in from work he went out a few minutes afterwards so obviously brought my things here for my holiday – or am I moving in? He’s just walked in with a box and emptied all my toys on to the floor. That’s great! It seems I’ll be spending my holiday with Auntie Sheila and Uncle Peter in their house and this room, their new room, which they had added to the back of the house, is to be mine while I’m staying here. I’m going to like this.

Wednesday Afternoon

This is the life! I’ve been here almost a week and have been made to feel so welcome. This is a real holiday – my own room to play and sleep in, good food with extras from their meals. Auntie Sheila is at home all day but Uncle Peter goes out to work. She lost her job before they moved, which sounds careless but she seems happy not having the job with her so perhaps it wasn’t worth having. She hopes to work at home soon using some of the money she got for her lost job – she is very good at making curtains and dresses and things like that and wants to see if she can make a living as a freelance seamstress, whatever that means. She’s so good to me, she plays with me and always gets the message when I’ve had enough and lets me sleep. My bed goes upstairs at night and I sleep in the room where she sleeps with Uncle Peter but, like at home, I’m not allowed on the bed. That’s fine, I prefer my nice, soft bed. I usually get up when they do, I’m used to that when I’m with Bella, but yesterday morning they both woke up earlier and left me in my bed and I didn’t make any attempt to follow them till the alarm went off. Then I sauntered downstairs for breakfast, leaving the bell ringing. 

Sunday Morning

The family came to see me today as they’re back from their holiday. I don’t want to leave Auntie Sheila so hid at the top of the pole on my seat but they found me and Margaret picked me up. She then handed me to her daughter Bella. I was a birthday present for Bella’s 5^th birthday. That was in 2010, and she’ll be 8 in November. She loves me so much but let’s her big brother Matthew play with me. He’s 10 and prefers playing football to playing with me – his loss! The family is staying for lunch so a bit longer for me in my own room. Bella’s looking round the room, now she’s picked up my soft toy fish and slid it across the floor. I’ll go and pick it up and take it to her, as I always do at home – she seems to love this game so I play along.

Sunday Evening

I’m back home again but quite happy, though I miss Auntie Sheila. But I heard that when Bella, Matthew and Margaret go back to school next month. I’ll be spending the weekdays with Auntie Sheila and will be company for her. Margaret’s a teacher and when she drives the children to school, she’ll drop me off at my new daytime home. I wonder if I can help when Auntie Sheila makes those curtains and dresses. I’m good with balls of wool – I can unravel one in no time.

Saturday Afternoon

The family brought me back to my second home today as Auntie Sheila has organised a small party for my birthday. I’m quite excited as I’ve got presents from them all, to be kept here. There’s a new pole for me to climb up, with two seats at different levels towards the top and a lovely soft bed so I can have a catnap during the day. I’m three now and do you know, I’ll be four next year? But I’m not looking that far ahead, I shall enjoy being three and spending my days between my two homes. I do have one concern though and that’s about visiting the vet (though hope never to go there again). When Margaret or John took me there in the past I’ve been called in as Fleck Dexter but if Auntie Sheila or Uncle Peter take me, will I be known as Fleck Robinson? I don’t really mind, as I feel I belong to both the Dexters and the Robinsons.

So all’s well that ends well! The holiday I thought would be a nightmare, turned out to be a dream come true, and it’s getting better all the time. Roll on September is all I can say! While I’m waiting, think I’ll have a lie-down on the top seat of my new pole for a little purring session.

© Chasqui Penguin 2022

Twitter: @ChasquiPenguin