Pebbles from Coventry is worried! Paul or new man Tim… who seems to mysteriously disappear…
Dear Nellie Cat,
I hope you or one of your sisters can help me – you see I’ve got myself into a bit of a situation and I don’t know what to do.
I’ve been with my owner Paul for three years and in the beginning it was great, he was affectionate, always checking I was happy, buying me little gifts – nothing was too much trouble for my comfort. But gradually, over the years, he seems to care less and less. He was almost taking me for granted. There’s not so many belly rubs, I get those cheap brands of food from discount stores and the gifts have all but dried up.
Then four weeks ago I was out doing my evening patrol when I accidentally met a nice man Tim. First off it was just the odd ear rub or back scratch but we kept on bumping into each other behind the bike sheds, (ok, so I kinda was waited for him) but after a few weeks of this he lured me to follow him back to his place and, oh man I gotta tell you, I’m definitely punching above my weight! He tempted me with gorgeous fresh fish every time I was there, I got snuggles on the sofa and nothing’s too much trouble. But just as I was thinking I was going to take the leap to move in full time (we hadn’t discussed it, but it felt right) he just disappeared on me for nearly a week, no explanation, no nothing. When he got back he didn’t even try to tell me where he’d been or even if there was another cat or even one of those horribly smelly dogs on the scene. There was nothing, he just expected me to go back to how we were just as though nothing had ever happened.
Now I’m confused Nellie. Do I stay with my owner Paul who is a bit of a Steady Eddie or do I trade up to a new owner Tim, who’s a bit mysterious and is probably unreliable??
Pebbles, Worried in Coventry
Dearest Pebbles
Honey, this has sure taken lots of brain-time thinking about what’s best to do, me and my sisters are well divided on this one. So in utter desperation we turned to our friendly veterinary Mildred because she’s a real expert on men with her always being on the look-out to hook one, especially with all that love stuff she does. But honey, we get lots of letters like yours.
Look, we kitties aren’t exactly known for our loyalty are we. We’re not dogs, we’re independent free spirits, it’s in our genes, we’re still romantic hunters at heart and I can’t ever see us giving that up. Those dogs are just mindless slatherers, dogs are so obedient and pathetically adoring to their owners it wants to make you puke. You know, before I myself was wrenched away from my mom at such a young age, I’d cringe when I watched puppies in the orphanage desperate to be loved by wagging their stupid tails and all that. Now that’s not us cats is it Pebbles.
But because of all that harebrained loyalty dogs dollop out in great ladles of loathsome worship, owners then expect us kitties to do the same. When will cat owners finally learn that we cats are the ones who should dictate things, it’s never gonna be the other way around is it. Sure we can be just as loyal as any thick headed dog, we can outmatch them any time when it comes to a simple case of sucking up, that is until there’s a good chance of real good fish. Then it’s just a straightforward question of stuff that dried food crap that’s supposed to be nutritious, that tasteless melange that’s supposed to helps us clean our teeth, you’re probably gonna go for the fish.
But, as you may already know Pebbles, I’ve learned the hard way what it’s like to be unloved. My head too says go for the fish but the inside of my heart is saying to me something else. My little beating heart hurts so bad it must surely be some ancient thousand year old instinct from somewhere buried deep inside all us kitties, something that says to stay right where you know your food is gonna be safe. Discounted canned trash isn’t nice, we cats all know that, neither is that terrible dried shite we all have to endure but, you know, it keeps us alive. Fresh fish, even if it’s that line-caught Pacific salmon everyone keeps going on about surely isn’t gonna be there for you for ever. It might be to start off with but you already know in your heart what’s gonna happen next my little Pebbles. Tim’s gonna be out to lure you, that’s what fresh fish does, fresh fish is an age old trick to buy cat loyalty and sadly it succeeds way too often… and we Feline Angels are the ones left to pick up the pieces.
So it’s a real tough one honey. Perhaps you think about what most cats do, why don’t you think about staying with that Steady Eddie, then playing away games whenever takes your fancy. Do you know what I mean? 🙀
When it comes to choosing men though, Mildred our friendly veterinary says to flip a coin. That’s what she does, either that or she does that eeny, meeny, miny moe kids nursery-rhyme thing. Mildred says that works every time.
Nellie The Ship’s Cat
September 2018
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