It was about this time last year. I was going to hang some washing out to dry when something moved in the shadows and caught my eye. It was the scrawniest of kittens, filthy dirty, so thin I could see it's bones sticking out and it's eyes were almost glued shut. I did a double take because I was on the roof terrace and there was no way this thing could have got up there, it really was in a bad way.
The vet said it may not survive. It had flu, an infection of the ears and nose, an eye ulcer and to top it all off it was badly dehydrated and half starved. He gave it treatments for the ticks, fleas, worms etc and told us to take it back in a day or two if it was still alive. It was, so we did, and this is how the summer of 2007 progressed. The kitten started to put weight on and get stronger but we were still going to the vets every few days. She turned out to be quite a character, always looking for trouble and a really tough little thing, we called her Trevor. We found out much later that a neighbour found Trev on the street and realised she wasn't going to make it unless somebody took her in, so he dumped her on our terrace.
About three months later Trevor got signed off by the vet. Apart from the ulcer in the eye she was healthy, strong and playful. However, she started to do something I've never known a cat to do before. She started bringing us presents. At first it was plants (with roots) that we assumed she was digging up from neighbours gardens. She'd drag these things across the terrace, down the stairs, through the house and deposit them at our feet. Then she progressed to carrier bags. We started finding bags from stores we don't use around the house. Then she must have found access to a house which was being renovated because we got wall tiles, insulating foam, unopened bags of nails and screws, paint brushes and sand paper. Then we got the watch. That was when we decided it was getting serious and told all the neighbours what was happening. She now has the reputation as the local cat burglar and when people see her looking in their windows they quickly shut the curtains and close the windows in case she's casing her next job.
Trev relaxing after being out on a job.
1 comment:
Bringing gifts is normal cat behaviour - and she does have a lot to thank you for - but its usually in the form of food, yours is obviously an urban sort of girl. Perhaps she's suggesting household improvements and dress adjustments? Or doing her bit for plastic bag recycling?
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