I had enjoyed many in the past, but now all our old furry friends were dead and gone.
We buried them in the garden and marked their resting place with shrubs.
The problem with pets being that they always poop and eventually die.
I always became far too attached to them, and losing them was painful.
I didn't want to experience that again.
Our last cat was a lovely small black Queen my daughter had named chopstick the day she cautiously walked into our home looking for love.
She was a shy little cat who adopted us.
Although always cautious of me, she adored my daughter and made her very happy.
One day, and for no apparent reason. The poor little creature started dragging both of her rear legs and meowing loudly.
Although she was only around ten years old, the vet said she was in distress, so we did what we had to do, and every year what grows above her flowers beautifully.
Internally, I cried and mourned for many weeks having to put her down.
I always have been an exceptionally emotional person some would call SOPPY!
That’s when I decided, NO MORE pets.
That was several years ago.
It was now November 2020 and the time of covid 19, and lock down was harsh on everyone.
My daughter Lele was a full-time professional sportswoman in the world of judo, and had already lived away from home for many years.
Covid 19 changed all that, and suddenly international competition for UK competitors became a thing of the past.
The national judo training centre was closed, and my daughter sent home until further notice.
It didn’t take boredom long to set in, and she wasn’t one for spending time on her own.
Rather than spending her lock-down time in her little flat near the judo centre, she saved a few pennies on rent and gave it up.
We were glad to have her home, although it felt as if we were playing snakes and ladders and had found ourselves back at the bottom of a long snake, and at the game’s starting point again.
We had taken a couple of GIANT steps forward, preparing her for the real world at sixteen. Now, and at twenty-two. we'd taken half a dozen steps backwards when she returned to the nest.
Her accumulation of furniture came as quite a shock, and the house became far more crowded than we were used to.
Immediately she moved in, she took over and started dominating our home life again, and we were expected to tow the line.
Bossy would be an understatement!
Then she announced she was going to get a cat!
NOOOO! no, no, no, - I told her I don't want one, and I had many good reasons which I shared.
One I haven't yet mentioned is that I am fairly sure, even though it would be her cat. I and my wife would be the ones to look after it and become responsible for its future health and well-being.
I gave my reasons and argued my corner, and after many hours of fierce debate, we reached what she saw as a good compromise.
So, we got a kitten!
To my family, especially my daughter and wife, I am a PUSHOVER.
My daughter didn't waste a second sourcing a kitten and was on the phone checking availability for hours.
It seems with lock-down everyone wanted a fluffy friend to keep them company.
Suddenly kittens and puppies were as rare as chickens' teeth.
Not only were they in short supply, they now cost a fortune, even mongrels, crossbreeds and moggies.
"I've got one, dad!" My daughter smiled broadly and was really excited.
Now the decision to get a kitten had been made. I also was excited, my wife wasn’t so sure.
I loved kittens and cats.
"Come on," she said, acting like the impetuous six-year-old I remember so well.
"Let's fetch him!"
"NOW? "I replied in surprise as she prised me away from my work.
Everyone in my family, including me, could be exceptionally impulsive, and was rarely prepared to wait even a moment.
"They said they will keep him for me for an hour!"
There was no point arguing with her, as my daughter ALWAYS got her way, or there would be further dispute.
Being a pedestrian still, she almost dragged me to my car and when we reached the supermarket a mile up the road, mugged me for my credit card.
She needed it for the cash machine to withdraw a sum of money as payment for the kitten: it seemed I was paying for this also?
Just a temporary lone dad, she reassured with an accusing expression as she jumped back in the car with a handful of banknotes.
Hmm, I had heard that same statement said so many times before.
"Okay, where are we going?" I asked as I started the car?
"Exeter!" She answered as if we would be there in ten minutes.
My head spun around to face her in shock.
"We'll never get there in an hour, dear!" I remained calm.
“Then put your foot down!” She looked at me disbelievingly, as to her the solution seemed simple.
Now I felt distressed because I hated being rushed or speeding, but neither did I want to disappoint or annoy her.
We had already spent fifteen minutes getting to where we were now, and the motorway traffic was heavy.
"How long then?" She growled impatiently, as if I was an inadequate parent and driver.
"Another hour, or perhaps even an hour and a half," Be practical, I asked, and she fidgeted impatiently as she thought about what to do. Then she called them.
Gosh, I wish she spoke as nicely to me as she did to them!
"I told them were on the motorway and they said they would hold the boy!"
I was becoming agitated and stressed and, as a result, drove far faster than I normally would to avoid disappointment.
With accidents, road repairs, holdups and finding their house, our journey took a few minutes short of two hours.
"You wait here dad!" She commanded as she got out of the car faster than a formula one of the starting grid.
She needn't have worried. With the rampant Covid 19 virus outside, I had no intention of going anywhere.
Ten minutes later, she returned a hundred pounds lighter, and a black ball of fluff heavier.
I say heavier, and although they guaranteed he was eight weeks old. He was so small he would have blown away in a light breeze.
The kitten had the most beautiful big blue eyes you could imagine, which seemed disproportionately large compared to his little body.
He was quite alarmed and visibly distressed by being moved away from the family he’d become used to.
"Isn't he wonderful?" He certainly was, and very different.
However, he didn't appreciate the cat carrier at all.
For the entire return journey, he meowed loudly as he searched for a way of escape. This was a very needy and noisy kitten.
The poor little thing was so small, and shaking like a leaf by the time we got him into our home.
But he quickly settled down and began jumping over everyone and was happy to be acquainted.
As both my daughter and younger son are big into competitive judo, they quickly commandeered our outside room, which was really a large garage.
Here stood our washing machine, and I used the space as a workshop and studio.
Everything of mine was removed and replaced with training equipment, and here my children would spend their lock down days and excess energy.
As a result, I quickly became the kitten’s babysitter, and he spent most of his day with me, which was fun. It also meant I never did as much writing or work as I intended.
It was a while before he was christened and given a permanent name. My daughter came up with the name Diego.
However, as he grew, he developed a willowy and svelte physique and interesting characteristics which didn’t fit his butch name or cheeky personality.
This was a slender and long young cat, and held his tail in the air as straight as a flagpole as he walked.
The characteristic I most liked was he sort of smiled as you spoke to him, which made him look excessively proud, happy, or possibly a little arrogant.
He walked with style, and as if he was happy with himself. So I, to my daughter’s disgust, called him Slinky, which is a fitting name I use till this day.
However, he happily answers to both names, or is it just the voice of the one who calls him he recognises, and he runs to greet them?
He instantly had friendships with 75% of the household, but Tess, my wife, at first remained cold and standoffish towards him, which he found confusing.
Tess is from the beautiful Philippines, and not used to or keen on pets or cats. To her, Slinky was a learning curve.
Right from the beginning, this crafty kitten was obviously at a loss why she wasn’t friendly towards him, so he used his feline talents to befriend my wife and win her over.
First, he sat next to her and purred loudly and then rubbed his head adoringly against her hand to get her attention. He meowed loudly at her in conversation. He smiled and gave her the needy eye treatment.
It all worked wonderfully well.
He was a complete tart and made himself difficult to resist.
This was an extremely persistent creature, and day by day she slowly became his friend as he introduced her to, and repaid her with feline affection.
Quite soon, he had her wrapped around his paw, and he would sit on her lap being fussed extravagantly with her feeding him treats.
That September, we left for our Philippine home. My wife for a couple of weeks, and me till the following spring time.
Being retired, the south of Cebu is my winter retreat, and I felt truly guilty leaving Slinky behind. This was another reason I didn’t want to have a pet, although I knew my children would look after him and spoil him rotten.
As Covid 19 became less of a worry, my children started attending training camps and judo competitions across the globe, and often would be away for a week or more at a time.
This meant my wife would regularly be in the house alone. Except for Slinky, who would always be delighted to see her when she returned home from her nursing duties at the hospital.
By the time I returned the following April, they were the GREATEST of companions.
Slinky acknowledged my return as if I had just been to the shops, although he immediately began sleeping next to me, and following me closely wherever I went.
I presumed this was in case I tried sneaking away again.
He was an intelligent cat and knew on which side his bread was buttered. So, would come and greet me before going to sit on or with my wife.
He was good at sharing himself around.
It was interesting to see my wife had been totally converted to a Slinky lover and their relationship continued to grow.
“I think we should get a white one!” At first I was stunned and wondered if I had misheard her.
“He needs a companion!”
It was the last thing I ever expected to ever hear my wife say.
She said the same thing a few times, and then alternated her statement as she fussed the cat to, “one is enough!”
The following autumn, I returned to the Philippines to our winter home, and across our daily social media chat, my wife commented frequently about how nice it would be to have a white cat.
This was no longer a hint, but a request.
I now knew for certain she defiantly wanted one, but she stressed, it had to be an ALL WHITE boy.
Okay, I had my orders, and I would get one for her when I returned in the spring.
A few weeks before I was due to return from the tropics to the UK, my curiosity got the better of me and I started scanning the Internet for white male kittens in my UK area.
I found kittens in abundance in every colour and breed you could imagine. The online ad mags were full of them.
All white kittens, however, seemed as rare, and as difficult to get as green and pink striped polar bears. So I waited until I got back to the UK and try again then.
Unfortunately, the week before I was due to return, my poor sister-in-law (my wife's sister) became very ill. She had a mild stroke, which was closely followed by a second.
With her being ping-ponged from hospital to hospital, the last week of my stay was a hectic one. My wife arrived at Cebu airport shortly before I was due to fly out.
Fortunately, we spent a little time together before I headed back to the UK not to see her again for another eighteen days.
Compared to Cebu, where it was the middle of their summer and the temperature was 44c the day I flew out, the UK was FREEZING! Even with the heating on, my house felt like a refrigerator.
It was always the same when I returned home in spring, and it took a week or more to re-acclimatise to and stop shivering.
Mom wants a cat, my son Ethan announced as if I didn’t know, and I have found her one, he said with a sense of pride!
He showed me a photograph of a pretty little kitten, which was a very obvious mixture of many breeds. However, It was creamy coloured rather than white, had long hair and two black spots on its head.
I knew it didn’t fit the brief, but I sent a picture to my wife to let her know we were on the case.
Get it, she said!
I was surprised at her response because at first she was very definite she wanted an old white boy. Luckily, it would not be available for a couple of weeks, so no rash purchase decisions were made.
The next day, I scanned the online ad mags for any new entries, and once again there were no shortage of kittens, although white ones were obviously a rarity.
I found a litter of kittens which looked very attractive, that were a variety of colours, although one of them was MAINLY white. I sent the photo to my wife who said, “pick the one with the most white if it’s a boy!”
She was still very keen to expand our feline family.
I contacted the advertiser to find out the sex of the nearly all-white kitten, and luckily for me, it took him three days to respond.
That afternoon I checked the ads again, and BOOM, there was exactly what I had been looking for. I found a photograph of the most beautiful little all-white tom kitten.
I contacted the seller immediately to ask if it’s still available, and yes it was and I became excited!
Being impetuous, I asked if I could fetch it today, and the lady, Patricia, said tomorrow would be better. I agreed, it was a good drive away from me, in the Welsh valleys.
I asked about sending a deposit which highlighted my intent, and she laughed and said he’ll be waiting for you.
I was so happy, I’d found exactly what my wife wanted. The most gorgeous white boy and I sent her a photo immediately with an attachment. It read: “Look what I got for you!”
Her response was extremely positive and she couldn’t wait to see him, although she would have to wait a further nine days before her return.
The next morning I planned my route, and on a sunny spring, but chilly, morning began my journey to Tonypandy in the Rhonda Valley of south Wales.
Eighty percent of my journey was on motorways and it took me nearly 2 hours to get there. The kitten was deposited upon my chest, and money was exchanged.
He was a confident little thing and not frightened of anything.
I placed him in the cat carrier, and unlike the last kitten who’d made this journey, he was chilled, silent and laid back about it.
When I got to the motorway, I stuck my fingers in through the bars and he started licking them. He was so laid back I wondered if he was on drugs, and I knew Tess would love him.
My daughter called, wanting to know what time we’d return, as she wanted to get things ready. Before I returned, she went to get food, toys, and his own squeaky new litter tray.
She was all prepared when I returned and I placed the carrying cage in the room's corner and opened the door and left him to come out when it suited him.
Slowly at first, he visually reconnoitred his new surroundings. Then, half of him came out of the basket, but he was still a little cautious.
Twenty minutes later, he became more daring and started climbing over my daughter. Immediately, she produced a feather and teased him. Any remaining shyness vanished completely.
At that point, Slinky entered the room.
Lele, my daughter, was worried he might injure the kitten. I was sure, however, this was not in his nature, and he was all mouth and trousers.
His expression, however, betrayed his true feelings. Until this point, he had been happy being an only cat. Now there was this startling white interloper playing with his humans.
His eyes became fiery and full of hate, and from the far side of the room, he growled and hissed loudly.
The poor little kitten was not prepared for this and quite wisely disappeared back into the cat carrier, and to safety.
We had suspected Slinky would throw a tantrum or two, because he has a very spoiled nature and spent two years as the lord of the manor. So, my daughter picked him up and fussed over him as the kitten stayed at a cautious distance, wondering what to do next.
For a few days, and as Fred, which I’d temporarily christened him, got to know and entertain us all. Slinky kept his distance, although he was always there, glaring, growling, and intimidating.
Over the following few days, I got to know the character of the kitten very well. He was a very mischievous little ball of fluff. He liked people, and enjoyed playing, but never bit or scratched. Instead, he’d lick you, and purr extremely loudly, which made him quite irresistible.
But nastiness, he had none.
“Fred is a confident little kitten,” I told my wife.
“DON’T call him Fred!” It was demand. Her ladyship didn’t like the name, although I think it suited him.
While my kids were at home, they spent their time enjoying the kitten. But when they went to judo training, then he was my shadow. So was jealous Slinky, although he was softening.
Day by day, they got closer to each other, and the hissing and growling got less until it ceased altogether. From the way Slinky observed him as they gradually got closer to each other, and although he made a big song and dance about it. I could tell from his attitude a big part of him wanted to play with and get to know this high energy little guy.
They just needed a little time as Slinky continued to nurse his pride. A few times, the brave kitten got too close too soon and was smacked and put back into his place quite severely.
He never gave up though, and constantly tested and invaded slinky’s personal space, and was regularly punished.
However, he also enjoyed his own space, and would quite happily go off and entertain himself. This was a very independent little creature. When this happened, and unless he was out, Slinky would continue to watch him.
Then I realised he had a unique trick all his own.
I was in the house alone with him, and he was entertaining himself and I hadn’t seen him for some time. So I went looking for him.
A fluffy white kitten shouldn’t be that difficult to find, although I’d already learned he had a few strange sleeping places which he claimed had his.
These I checked first, but he wasn’t in any of them.
I started to get worried and then did a thorough check in every room. I looked behind and under everything, but he had gone. COMPLETELY!
I’m quite a rational person and slow to panic or flap, so I looked again.
At the conclusion of my second search, worry began to become a problem. Where he could be and I checked everywhere again and again.
I even considered he might have followed me out of the door into the garage as I put out the recycling. This, I thought, would be unlikely and that I would have seen him. But, my mind was now playing tricks on me and thinking the worst.
I methodically searched the garage, my children’s gym, the garden. I even wandered up and down our quiet little cal-de-sac, wondering if I might see him there.
I returned really worried and feeling truly irresponsible.
How the HELL could I lose a white kitten?
I sat at my laptop with a strong coffee considering every possibility, but nothing came to me.
He had totally DISAPPEARED!
Then, doing his best impression of a miniature dancing bear, from nowhere he came jumping and pouncing into the room.
I was sooooo RELIEVED to see him you wouldn’t believe!
But where had he been?
I told my children the story when they returned home and they laughed and guffed at me and thought I hadn’t looked that hard. If only they had been a fly on the wall!
All’s well that ends well!
Then it happened again. While they were in the house despite that, they with their young and sharper eyes couldn’t find him either.
It happens regularly.
Becoming invisible was his party trick.
This little kitten played hard and slept even harder. After a couple of hours of extreme exercise, he would crash so deeply you’d be forgiven for thinking him dead. He would sleep deeply for two or three hours.
So, when he disappeared, I presumed he’d found somewhere comfortable and secure to sleep, and that’s where he was.
On the way back from the airport, I told my wife about his unusual trick and she also laughed and told me I didn’t look hard enough.
She couldn’t wait to see him, and was thrilled with her new boy. Although Slinky also was waiting to reacquaint with her. It seemed if she approved of him, then he would have to also, and their relationship moved to the next stage.
Then, and while we all were in the house together, he disappeared again! This time, they were determined to find his hiding place, and room by room went through it with a fine-tooth comb.
I had become bored with this game and didn’t join in looking for him as I knew he would reappear when he was ready and well rested, but the rest of them carried on looking EVERYWHERE! They were as puzzled as to his whereabouts as I was the first time he disappeared.
With everyone making a noise and getting in everyone else’s way as they looked for him, I decided it was a good time to catch up on a bit of TV.
An hour later and he was still absent without leave!
“Told you!” I said, knowing he would turn up eventually.
They must have been magic words as he turned up almost immediately, and in the most unusual of places. As I sat and watched the TV, the cutest little kitten face you could ever imagine began to appear through an unbelievably small aperture next to our satellite TV box.
This seemed barely enough room for a mouse to squeeze through. Yet, he squeezed through and had slept directly behind the TV box.
“Found him!” I shouted and everyone came into the room in time to see his pretty eyes squeezing through the aperture and him stretching his little body as he awoke from a deep and peaceful sleep.
We all helped my wife by offering names, and although I think I came up with some excellent ones such as “Gizmo,” and “Tofu,” they were both dismissed. He was a present for my wife, and the choice of his name should be her decision.
Let’s call him “Ted!” She announced which to me seemed a very unfeline name. “Ted, or Teddy,” she repeated his new name with certainty. Okay, your choice, and Teddy seemed a much better name than just Ted.
My wife returned in time to see Teddy growing at an alarming rate. Not only physically, but his relationship with Slinky.
They now became much closer, and Slinky was not slow at patting him as he passed. But Teddy is a brave little thing and baited and teased him relentlessly, constantly getting closer.
The look on Slinkies face had now changed and was not menacing, but one of interest. And I want to play with you. Then it happened, and one day Teddy jumped at Slinky, and the ongoing fun began.
It was quite hilarious, and Slinky rolled him on his back immediately and the mock fighting started. Since then, it’s been like world War three.
They don’t play all the time, they both seem to need a bit of private space. But they play a lot, and they play nicely.
First thing in the morning, slinky usually goes out for his ablutions. Today, however, he didn’t want to go out. He wanted to stop and play with Teddy.
I think my wife was absolutely correct when she said he needed a companion. I’m sure Slinky's life now has FAR MORE fun than before Teddy arrived. When I return to Cebu in mid-September, neither will be lonely, and neither will my wife with two monochrome mowlies (cats) to keep her busy and compete for her attention.
As always, I’d love to hear your comments, thoughts and questions. If you would share this with your family, friends and acquaintances, I would be very grateful. Just use the below button.