(no subject)

[auntiemeesh]

Well, that was a little weird.

There's a neighborhood cat who is often very friendly with me. He's (I'm going with he, although I've never really checked) got a collar and is well fed but in nice weather he spends a lot of time outside. I don't think I've ever seen him more than two or three house lengths from his own porch though, and it's very clear that it's up to him to decide when he wants to be friendly and get petted. As I walk by his house, he'll either give me a languid stare and return to whatever he's doing, or come trotting up to receive his due and proper snuggles. If the latter is the case, I'll stop, pet him a moment or two and move on, and he'll immediately find something else to do.

I haven't seen him in a couple of months, probably, since it's been so cold. But it warmed up this week and he was out today. As I came walking home from work today, he came bolting off his porch and up to me, twining around my legs and really acting desperate for a good snuggle. If he hadn't been all fat with a healthy, shiny coat of fur (actually, much cleaner and shinier than usual in the summer), I'd suspect no one had petted him for days. And when I finally said bye and turned for home, he trotted right after me, got in front of me, twined around my legs as I walked. He followed me for more than half a block before I decided I'd better walk him back home. I didn't want him to cross the street with me and then have to navigate back on his own. I got him back in the vicinity of his house (not entirely sure which porch is his, but I know to within a house or two where it is) and turned for home again. This time he sat down and watched me go, the whole way down the block, across the street and on. I felt like I was abandoning some poor homeless critter, when I know very well that he has a family that takes care of him. I hope he's not locked out of his house or anything. Poor kitty.

Comments

[ani-no-mouse.livejournal.com]

I sometimes have a similar feeling about Leon. I know he has a family (they are right next door to me after all) and he is certainly well-fed, but he sometimes seems so eager for interaction that it hard not to see him as a poor abandoned waif-kitty. Hence his cuddly box on my porch. (Yeah, I'm a soft touch.)

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

At least he wasn't in any actual distress, unlike that poor cat last winter that got stuck half-way under my porch on a really freezing cold night.

[wbkbb.livejournal.com]

That does sound odd. I hope everything's ok.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I actually thought about going out a few hours ago to check and make sure he wasn't still sitting on the sidewalk, but that seemed like going too far, lol.

[shirebound]

Oh, it must be hard to leave him! Hopefully his humans are taking good care of him, with plenty of love.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I hope he's inside by now, with a belly full of food and his very own humans to snuggle with.

[antbee362.livejournal.com]

I hope he just wanted to let you know that he had missed you. I hope his humans come home soon and let him in.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

He certainly is a friendly cat, maybe that's all it was. :)