Princess Kate

I did it!

After 2 years without a pet we just adopted a kitty: Princess Kate. That was the name that was on her cage at the adoption center and we decided to keep it.
She looks very regal indeed.

She is a baby, just 5 months old, but she is very poised in spite of her young age.
She is not shy and accepts human beings readily.

The good people at the adoption center told me to first keep her in a small room to gradually let her get used to her surroundings, but I had other ideas.
I wanted Kate to get the lay of the land right away, so I let her wander whether she pleased.

She duly inspected every room, climbed into the bathtub, jumped on my computer station, walked on the keyboard and finally settled in the basket that I had prepared for her in my office. She took to it like a fish to water.
She sniffed the lining, massaged it for a while and without any further ado went for a snooze.
She now looks like she always belonged here.

When it comes to animals, I rely on my own sensory appendages.
I let the beasts come to me instead of me going to them.
It might take a while, but it usually works.

When I was in the army, I started to talk to a new guy who was bunking next to me.
So what do you do in the civilian life? I asked.
I am a car thief, he said.
I said OK, and continued the conversation without blinking an eye.
That was not the reaction he expected from me. He looked a little piqued and asked: does that bother you?
Why should it? My car is not parked in front of the barracks.

He smiled and started to open up. I didn’t have to probe. He spilled all his beans spontaneously.
Jean-Baptiste and I became very good friends.

That’s the way I see it.
If the animal wants your company or attention, he will let you know.
If he is not so inclined, leave him alone.
I have the keys to the “garde-manger” and he usually knows it.

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Princess Kate.

Alain