Once there was a cat, a stray, who came to visit. He would come twice a day for food. Only rarely did he visit three times, and then in the late afternoon. He was black, boney and young.
I called the cat Mr BC (for short for Black Cat). He ate quite a lot and soon his coat became glossy. He also started to put lush fur around his skinny bones. I gave him special kitty milk and meat. He wolfed it down. Sometimes I tried to talk with him but he seemed interested in only one thing. Filling his hunger. He would visit, eat and then slink quietly away.
As he grew, I had to widen the small hole under the fence as he was finding it more and more difficult to squeeze through. He looked so well; I hoped he'd stay. But he never did.
Always he kept a distance between us. When I went out to fill his bowls, he would run and hide behind the Buddha statue on the verandah but every now and again he would peak out around the corner to see what was happening. When I went back inside, he would tiptoe to the bowls and drink the milk first. After almost licking the pattern off the milk dish, he started on the meat.
I've fed Mr BC for the past two months. The morning visits are often a bit riotous though. When I get up in the morning there is always a gaggle of birds sitting on the verandah railing waiting to be fed. Butcherbirds, Magpies, Currawongs. Crows. Whenever they see Mr BC they emit a loud raucous alarm call. Initially he ran away with all the noisy bird-yelling. To counter the noise he now comes earlier when it is still dark or just breaking into dawn.
When Mr BC visits at night he bumps into the possums eating their apples and oats on the verandah. Sometimes he thuths or hisses at them. He never chases them or tries to attack them.
One night I heard more than thuthing. Mr BC emitted that low cat growly meow that comes when another cat is near by. As my two cats are indoor cats, and rarely venture outdoors, I went out to investigate. There, coming up the stairs was Mr BC. What? Then it clicked. No wonder he was eating so much morning and night. There were two Mr BC!
The two cats are identical. They have exactly the same mannerisms - drinking the milk first, hiding behind the Buddha statue, keeping their distance in exactly the same way and eating a lot. Now each shares a part of the day to eat their fill.
When I realised what was happening I just laughed and laughed. How clever of Mr BC x2. Then I looked more closely at the cats. The only difference I can spot is that one cat has a slightly longer tail than the other. Both are equally handsome. And smart.
This week, as our class sat outdoors by the beautiful lake and spent time in reflection and reverie, and the water dragon climbed into the student's handbag, I thought about the trust of animals and the affection and joy they bring when you least expect it.
Image source:
Cat Black Cat Power Mieze Black Animal, http://pixabay.com/en/cat-black-cat-power-mieze-black-233367/?oq=cat%20OR%20animal
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