About the Cat I Found Today

Neighbour knocked on front door earlier, thought I was M. Offer to go get M, but no, want message relayed. They aren’t social distancing from door, which I already have to hold almost closed to stop cats getting out. Neighbour starts telling me stuff M already knows. Try to tell, but they carry on.

Cat gets out.

I say, gotta get the cat. Neighbour just stands there. Won’t move. Little old lady, btw (lol). I’m, hey, I really need to get the cat. She finally gets message, but keeps getting too close while I look in bushes at side of house.

At one point, while crouching and trying to coax the ginger ninja meowing its head off out, she comes up right behind me, says, see, look – that’s what I’m taking about, and points off in the direction.

(a little tersely, yes) I reply, I know what you’re talking about; right now I’m trying to get the cat, remember?

I even retreat for treats.
She’s even still there when I get back
The treats don’t help me get the cat back.
I can’t see the cat in the bush anymore.
Have to tell M one of the cat’s out and I can’t find it (stupid lol!).

M says, ah, don’t worry about it there’s plenty more like what’s-it-face down at animal rescue; puts kettle on to make nice cuppa tea (I’m kidding, seriously!).

It’s not first time, M says, best thing is give it a bit, open door and ginger ninja will be back in again; puts kettle on to make nice cuppa tea.

One nice cuppa tea later, open door, no ginger ninja. We go have look direction he went, which, thankfully, onto area of estate with no roads.

We split up. Getting close to roads now.

I turn corner to see back cat lying across pavement next to road. Not moving. Walk right up to it. Nothing. It dead.

Go back to find M; say, still no sign of ginger ninja, but have found dead black cat if that any good until can get to sanctuary? (I’m kidding, see above!)

Take him back to dead cat, we both stand looking at it. It dead. Just laying there across pavement like it had a seizure or something, I don’t know I’m not a vet. Suddenly the slightest eye movement!

It not dead, just [just?] really, really, really unwell!

(brave) M reaches down to gently touch cat. It twitches!

I start knocking on doors to find owner while standing well back.

Second door, someone answer (another lol, in fact).

She says neighbour over road has cats. Ask if she could come down town (well, to end of her drive) to I.D. the black cat behind her front wall.

She recognises straight away. I ask what number across road. She says, they’re not in, but I can try calling them – they’re at a funeral today.

Off she goes inside . . .

I walk back to M. We look at the cat wondering what we can do for it. Its eyes move again, poor little thing. M says, I think it might just be asleep. I say, what out here like this with us strangers stood over it talking, never mind the prodding? – I think you might be an English one out too long in the midday sun!

M crouches down, gently touches cat again, only this time continues stroking; and then, just like it was the hand of the Messiah that the M could very justifiably stand for given the circumstances, the cat’s eyes pop widely open, it jumps up and starts winding itself in and out of my legs tail in air.

The neighbour comes back out phone to ear. I wave. Asleep! It was asleep! Your neighbours don’t have to come home early from a funeral because their cat’s almost dead, after all. But thank you for all your help.

On way back we find the ginger ninja in someone’s front garden; the neighbour who knocked on the door in the first place . . .

How’s your day been?

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