Our neighbour has multiple cats. He doesn’t know how many precisely. Sometimes he gives some away to neighbours and family. Otherwise, they live semi-feral in a colony that he feeds, but otherwise allows to live pretty much as nature intended. If one or two go missing, he probably doesn’t notice. This attitude is not unusual for rural France. Certainly he wasn’t aware that one of them had given birth in the past few weeks to yet another litter of kittens – until Mrs L advised him. The reason Mrs L knew was because mother and two kittens had been coming into our house and stealing our cats’ food.
One of them, the tom, has persisted despite being shown the door. Eventually he wore us down. Repeated scenarios straight out of the closing credits of the Flintstones became farcical to the point of wearing. Besides, as soon as we had gone to bed for the night in he came again – along with other stray stragglers looking for somewhere warm for the night and any pickings left by the inhabitants. Although this one doesn’t go home and hasn’t since Saturday night.
This kitten’s father is the local bruiser whom we have dubbed Napoleon. I suppose it was inevitable that we would call his son Louis. He has a name. That’s it then, isn’t it? Mrs L keeps saying that he isn’t joining the gang. I’m sure that one day she will convince herself. In the meantime, Louis has his paws ensconced under the table and shows no sign of leaving.
Of course there’s a price to be paid for moving into our house…
How utterly adorable! You’d never be so hard-hearted as to throw him out. Even if you did, you’d have a job keeping him out – Bonapartes have a habit of not giving up. So better accept that he’s your Austerlitz and you’re not going to be his Waterloo.
What is interesting is the strength of will in something so small.
‘Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.’
Robert A. Heinlein
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You should feel flattered. It’s not every human that a cat cares to settle down with. Ours turns his nose up at most of our visitors, even if they go in for the “kitty, kitty come and be stroked” routine which he doesn’t buy at all.
Those eyes obviously did it.
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