HALLOWEEN, BLACK CATS & PEPPER

It all happened so unexpectedly: The Friday night before Halloween, I was smoking in the courtyard around 10pm when a black cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere.  It was meowing up a storm and rubbing itself against my legs.  Luckily I'm not superstitious or I would have been alarmed when I opened the front door and it shot straight up the stairs.  Once I had fed the cat some ham and given it some water, it settled sleepily on the foot of my bed where it spent the night.  

Pumpkin, as we ended up calling her, was a very affectionate kitty and before I knew it I was returning home with cat food, litter tray and a few toys to play with.  The six days she was with us, she was no trouble at all.  We got used to her sleeping on our beds at night and licking our feet and faces in the morning.  She had an endearing way of headbutting your hands whenever she wanted to be petted, which was often.

'Pumpkin' - The start of it all...

But all the while we knew that she was probably somebody elses kitty and this hung heavy on our conscience.  We asked the neighbours if they recognised her and we kept alert for any 'Lost Cat' notices.   It was inevitable that one would appear eventually and that Pumpkin would be returned to her rightful owners.

We were sad and felt bereft after they collected her, as we had grown very fond of her.  The house felt empty and I missed having her around.  That's when we decided that even though the house refurb wasn't finished that we needed a bundle of furry affection in our lives...  As one of our neighbours had advised: A house feels more like a home when you have a cat in it.

Pepper - Home at last.

'Pepper' (as we named her) came from the Cats Protection Charity and she was one of many cats that had been abandoned. A seven month dark silver tabby, we knew she was the one, as soon as she started head butting us.  Pick me, she seemed to be saying. She has very striking eyes which are a mixture of blue and amber and a reddish brown nose.  She's settled in nicely and is beginning to respond when you call her name.  She loves to cuddle & snuggle up against you and is full of affection - especially liking to have her belly rubbed and under her chin scratched.  In short, she's adorable! 

Look into my eyes... and pet me.

A couple of days ago Pepper was vaccinated, microchipped and spayed.  The vet assured us she was in good health and remarked on how well behaved, good natured and docile she was.  Having never owned a cat before, I was suprised what perfect pets they are:  As well as being extremely clean and only peeing & pooping and in their litter trays, they like to sleep a lot.  Pepper seems to like being around us and won't stay in an a room unless somebody is in it.   I guess it is early days as to whether she'll become more mischievous and independant, but at the moment when she isn't head-butting your hands to be petted and played with, then she finds a comfortable spot close by and settles down to sleep.

8 out of 10 cats prefer sleeping.

Sweet dreams.