A cat paradise, that’s what the flat where Paddington and Daisy lived as well as its surroundings looked like to me. Inside, they were allowed in every single room, always plenty of food handy for them and through the cat flap they could come and go as they pleased. In a park-like environment, a group of buildings stood in a respectable distance from each other. A great place for both cats to romp freely; and they did.
“My cats don’t get along very well,” their owner said upfront. “Since Paddington is with us, Daisy is hardly ever home anymore”. In the course of time I have heard many stories about older cats feeling cast off their thrones with the arrival of a kitten. Though Daisy could hardly be considered a woman of age, being barely one year old! In spite of that, she exhibited some of the symptoms of an elderly lady whose life was being made miserable with the arrival of an ‘enfant terrible’. Paddington who was not even a half year old, was still super playful and it didn’t take long for me to witness it with my own eyes. Daisy, walking through the flat unsuspectingly, was literally jumped upon by her lurking tormentor. Not just once, but quite regularly. Luckily, she could hold her own and with the necessary snarling and growling she made the youngster understand she didn’t appreciate his behaviour!
Paddington was a joy to observe! When playing in the garden, expensive cat toys were absolutely redundant. Birds, bugs, an autumn leave moving in the win or just the way the light was falling through the leaves of the trees. Basically, anything would do. What Daisy did when she was outside is unclear to me. As soon as she had gone through the cat flap, she was out of sight.
In spite of everything, I was not under the impression the flat was too small for the both of them. Either way, there was definitely enough space for them not to have to get in each other’s way. That Paddington would not always stick to that unwritten cat rule, was secondary!
There were enough moments, where it did work out well. Then one of them would be in the play room and the other one in a basket next to me. Or one was out in the garden, while the other would be in the sun, on top of the arm chair’s backrest. “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” thought my ironic self.
Sometimes I wonder if they’ve reached a status quo by now…
