Ben comes Calling
Ben came calling this morning as I opened the door to leave for work.Meowing outside my door for a good fifteen minutes, I whipped out the crispy crunchies that he, Alex and Barbie love so much.
However, Ben wasn't interested in eating. As he proceeded to twirl around my legs, I guessed that my neighbour had already fed him and this contented cat was in the mood to play.
"Sorry dude, I gotta rush. Will be back this evening." I said as he tried to sneak past my closing door.
"Meeooowww... Meeow... Meeooow!" Ben replied.
It isn't everyday that my cats come calling at my front door. Safely snuggled in the three kennels outside my neighbor's house on the other side of the block, there's never been a need for either of them to stay over at my place.
It has been three years since my neighbor and I adopted the lot. Alex had been the only one of the three to have wandered into my house on several occasions. Even then, his motives for stepping in are purely exploratory. Stopping long enough for me to pet him, he would move off to explore the rest of my house. Examining the all the rooms, looking into every nook and cranny, perhaps to see how this peculiar human being lived.
Alex is always well behaved and I never have to watch him apart from making sure that I know where he is. After an extensive tour, he would either sit on my sofa or plonk himself down on my easy chair. Perhaps to contemplate the surroundings or laze around in the hope that I'd ply him with more food.
But he's never the attention seeker. Alex is the most individualistic and independent of the three. Unlike Barbie or Ben, Alex would only come around when he wants attention. He will not hesitate to let you know when he wants to be left alone or when he's had enough. So unless he calls, I just let him be and go about my business. As the main door is open, Alex will slip out the gate, only to come back days or weeks later.
Barbie has never visited my house. The furthest that she would venture would be the foot of the staircase leading to my gate. There were some mornings when she would wait for me to come down before giving her greeting, which is strange being the affection junkie that she is. She will run to greet me when I appear on the horizon on my way home. Wagging her tail and meowing, it's just the obvious invitation that she either wants more food or someone to shower her with affection. She would roll over and beg me to stay if I continue walking. When I reach down, she will hold still as I stroke her fur and look back up at me when I stop.
So today, Ben comes calling. A milestone of sorts since this is his first visit in a long while. This guy comes to play and house-tour be damned. Ben would be more than happy playing around my living room if that is where he gets belly rubbed for hours on end. However today is bad timing as I needed to rush to work. Looking into his sad eyes as I walked away, I had never denied my cats the attention when they wanted it. In return, I'll treat them to extra fish tonight.
posted by Teutoburg @ 9:51 AM
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