meowmus the cat

I didn't ask for a cat in my life, but this one just happened to show up.

A few months back, some new neighbors moved into the house next to the one I live in. No big deal. A short while later, they got a cat. Okay. Some time passes, and the cat started exploring. Cat ends up on top of the wooden fence separating the properties. It's just there, not scared at all, and mew'ing. I go to pet the cat. It lets me, and eagerly.

I figure okay, cat is on the fence, and it likes me (a lot), whatever. I give him a few pets, then he putters off back to his owners. No big deal.

Meowmus then starts appearing on the fence routinely. He's in good shape, well fed (he's definitely not starving or anything), and doesn't have that wild/feral cat thing going on at all. Bear in mind I grew up in a house where cats were around all the time, so if he exhibited stuff like fleas, dander or whatever, believe me, I would know. And if he got messed up by doing outdoor cat things that cats do, again, I would know.

I made a decision early on not to feed Meowmus at all, because I knew if I did, he'd never leave.

Well, that didn't stop him from wanting to come over for a visit...

...daily.

Meowmus is absolutely the neighbor's cat, but what happens is that after he gets fed by the neighbors and then put out to do whatever, he hops the fence and comes over to visit.

What does he want, Fancy Feast? Some catnip, perhaps? Nope. Pets and playtime. This cat is a total love monger. He wants his pets and play, and if he doesn't get that, he's very vocal about it. You'd swear he's a Siamese given how vocal he is, even though he's not. He also likes chasing sticks where if I take a stick and drag it on the ground, he pounces on it.

Oftentimes, Meowmus will wait under my car until I come outside. I come out, and mew-mew-mew, there he is.

When it gets dark out, Meowmus goes home back to the neighbor's house. He knows where the food is.

I always wash my hands and use hand sanitizer after touching Meowmus. Better safe than sorry. Only once in my life did I have a bad reaction to a cat. Oddly enough, it was an indoor cat that was mine. She probably got into something, I pet her later and whammo, hands got all rashed up a day later. They cleared after a few weeks. Yeah, this happened a long time ago, and again it was only once, but I never forgot it because it sucked. That experience taught me that even if a pet is in your house and never goes outside, doesn't matter, wash your hands and sanitize. It's generally good practice to do that anyway.

Meowmus is actually smart because he hardly goes anywhere and stays where it's safe, which is the neighbor's place and where I am. This cat has plenty of opportunity to just run off wherever, but nope, he pretty much likes where he is and stays put. He's also a people cat and loves everybody.

I don't actually know what the cat's real name is. I call him Meowmus.

I don't know how long Meowmus will stick around, but he's one of the friendliest cats I've ever met. He gets fed elsewhere, pops by for pets and play, sleeps under my car for a while (but he knows to scoot if he hears the car start), then goes home.

I'm okay with that.

Published 2024 Dec 26