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When Pancho’s people moved away, I half expected them to leave their cat and as strange as this may seem, I was rather sorry that they did not.
Sorry?! I do not approve of people abandoning their pets and this young lad was a menace to our wildlife, so despite his sweet face and winning personality, it would be a relief not to have to worry anymore.
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So why on earth would I be sorry?
It was obvious from the way he stared through our windows and demanded to be let in, that Pancho had spent a lot of time visiting the previous tenants of our house.
Indeed, I think he spent more time up here than at his own home. He could always be seen somewhere on our property, roaming the woods or the lower field.
Consequently, I worried about Pancho being removed from the territory he so clearly felt was his.
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Though we came to know Pancho quite well, we’d never become more than acquainted with his people, so we don’t know where they went or what sort of property they moved into.
We could only hope it suited the boy.
This was his last appearance at a window, the day before he left. It was almost as if he’d come to say goodbye.
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Cats are adaptable and moving from one house or apartment to another is no big thing. They soon settle.
Depriving them of outdoor territory is different.
A couple of years after Pancho’s departure another visitor turned up and seemed equally keen to visit.
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In no time at all, he was turning up for meals…
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…hanging out with the others…
Dee Dee grudgingly accepted him.
“Just don’t expect to stay!”
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We did begin to wonder!
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He even made overtures to shy Sophia.
She was a little uncertain about it, but he was very polite and didn’t push the matter.
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Sitting with her companionably.
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He loved to play.
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He’d arrive at breakfast time.
Entertaining us with his antics.
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This was no stray cat. We knew he had an owner because he’d been wearing a flea collar, but if he wanted to visit, it was fine with us and he always took himself off eventually.
Not knowing his name, we simply called him His Nibbs.
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Then suddenly his visits stopped.
For weeks there was no sign of him.
When finally he did return, something had changed.
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He was still friendly enough, but he was wary.
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If he ventured in, he was soon growling at the door, hissing when we opened it to let him out, as if afraid we’d attempt to detain him.
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It wasn’t hard to figure out that Nibbs had had his wandering privileges curtailed and now viewed closed doors as restraint.
After this, we saw him occasionally but not often and he seldom came indoors.
Early one morning I saw him outside and went to give him a bowl of food.
As I bent to put it down I heard a voice call out from the end of the driveway:
“Can I come and get my cat?”
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In our brief conversation, I gathered that the owner had been living nearby but had moved just over the hill behind us and Nibbs had done what free-range cats do, coming back to what he considered his domain, which led to his being kept in.
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Trying to contain a cat that has been allowed to roam is like trying to put a genie back in its bottle.
When I took over the care of Mohammed, he had been allowed his freedom which I honoured until one Christmas he went missing for a week. It was a bitter winter and when he returned, Mo was content to stay indoors but once the weather moderated, he began crying to go out again, so reluctantly I allowed it.
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When Mohammed disappeared the second time, he did not return and I never knew his fate, which was painful and saddens me to this day, but I could not have kept him locked in.
Seeing the change in Nibbs is evidence of what happens when you deprive a cat of freedom to which it has been accustomed.
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This happy cat had lost his joy.
The light had gone out of his eyes.
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It was obvious Nibbs’ owner loved him and wished to protect him, but sometimes the right thing and the best thing are not the same and who’s to say which is which?
Would Mohammed have been happy living out his days locked in?
We make choices for the animals in our care that they might not make for themselves.
For me this is the hardest part of the bargain.
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I still think of Pancho and hope he roams happily somewhere safe.
So that’s what happened to His Nibbs? If you told us before, I must have missed it. Such a shame it changed his personality.
Best wishes, Pete.
That little (sad) face of Pancho peeking through the window is actually heartbreaking – to think one could become so attached to an animal that isn’t even yours! And it’s a shame that His Nibbs has lost his joyous nature. Maybe his owner feels like he might bother you or she’s afraid he’s going missing (like your Mohammed) – or that’s how I’m trying to understand it anyway, but still … Oh, and I’m wondering now: Have he and Little Man ever met?
It was my theory that Nibbs met Little Man down in the field and told him to come up here for a good meal, but I can say for sure it actually happened! I think Nibbs’ lady just wants to keep him safe.
Thank you, Carolyn, for your interesting thoughts on your cats, visitors, or friends living with you. As always, the photos are beautiful! Your devotion to your furry friends and understanding their needs is admirable!
Joanna
I’m sure you have not seen the last of His Nibbs. He knows when he’s well off!