A tale of two cats

When we moved into our house last year, we found the previous incumbent up a ladder looking for his cat. Despite his coaxing for hours, the cat refused to turn up obviously deciding a life in the city did not appeal to it.

We were asked to look after the cat when it showed up and the previous resident said he would collect in due course.

We saw the cat and we thought clearly having misheard its owner that it was called Goolie. So we called the cat and it looked at us in a "I hate you" manner and flounced off. We fed and watered it but it stayed in its manner of "I wish to be alone".

After weeks and weeks of this, I started to call the cat and then say things like "Well sod you then". Being an animal lover, I continued to leave food for her. She would not come in the house having paid one nocturnal visit where she came across my husband and fled.

Then, all of a sudden, my Dad reported that the cat has rubbed against his legs one day. This marked a new chapter and the cat became friendlier and friendlier. We got it to come into the house where it developped a deep love for my duvet.

Of course, the cat is not ours and I could see the children and my daughter in particular getting more and more attached to the cat. We took it for vet treatment and then worried in case its owner did not pay us back what we had laid out on the cat.

Eventually, the cat's owner said he would come and collect her. She disappeared that day. He looked at me as if I had sold her or something worse. Thank goodness I could prove that she was live and well as I had the vet bill to show him.

Turns out that the cat that I call Goolie and my son calls Google and my Dad calls anything but its name is actually called Gucci. Daft name for a cat if you ask me but nobody did.

This is a tale of two cats because through having Gucci in our lives, we decided we wanted our own cat. Poppy came to us 10 days ago and is already a much-loved member of the family. She is a moggy, sweet, cuddly and haughty. I like her attitude and style.

This may yet be a tale of three cats. Watch this space!

Miaow!