Black Cat Stan

The weather is horrible but it was a nice morning and I went out on the bathroom roof. Across the garden on the roof of the shed next door I saw two ears and two eyes watching me. A yellow fox! I sat and observed him without looking his way. I smell him in the garden. He walks along my wall. His father was bigger than him and he got shot. So, here’s hoping!

Got a lot of sympathy and lots of brushing down my back by the fire today. I like it when I am brushed under my chin and down my back behind my tail. I bite my paw because my human won’t let me bite her bare toes. She says it hurts. I roasted my stomach by the fire and had to go and lie in the cold outside the door to cool off.

They tricked me. They put me in the cage. I I wasn’t expecting it at all. When we got to the animal hospital I let out a wail of despair. My human said, ‘Is there another cat here?’ It was me. I was in despair. I had wet myself. The humiliation. Lots of needles. My teeth hurt where the doctor touched them. The nurse talked to my human about that. I can still chew my biscuits so I am sure I am OK

In front of the fire while my human taps and stares at a screen I dream of Mrs Tiddles. I dream of fighting the ginger cat and I dream of fighting the white cat. In the early morning I go out in the front and there is a stream of humans walking puppies up and down our street. I hate dogs…

Yesterday another visitor came. I have met him before. He wants to play with me but I haven’t sniffed him enough for that. They had fish and chips. I hate cod. It smells awful. My human left the fire on upstairs and I lay in front of it and burnt my stomach. Better than cod…

This visitor has gone too. I heard my human talking to the Vets. I started using my litter trays again. My human played with me again. It’s cold and when I go out it rains. There are foxes in the garden. I can’t go and see Mrs Tiddles. I am fed up …

Visitors! That first human smelled of wool animals and the skin of cows. I heard them talking about her ‘farm’ in ‘Australia’. She went after two days, I sulked but no-one took any notice. My human washed sheets and changed duvet covers and ran that awful hoover machine all over the house – I hate that machine… and then another one came. He smelled of plastic and hot metal… they talked about flying and vaccination and tests …. I was fed up, I stopped eating and using my litter trays…

Another human came to stay. I am fed up with this. This one took even more of my human’s time. They talked and they talked about flying and vaccinations and tests and watched the white screens and talked and talked. I could get no attention. I showed my feelings. I hid under the kitchen table, I ran up and down, I nibbled at my food… I was fed up…

Today my human was gone for a long time. The neighbour, Mrs Tiddles’ human, came in and talked to me and gave me something to eat but it’s not the same. Once a long time ago she came in every day and my human wasn’t here for a long time. I stayed very quiet. It didn’t feel right. Then one day there she was! I didn’t hear her come in. I had given up hope that she would come home. I had stopped listening for her. I let her stroke me and I purred but I didn’t let her know how frightened I had been that she had left me. Last time that happened I was left alone outside and I never saw that human again.

Today was the day my human comes back with big bags. I greet her and then run to my litter tray. I don’t know why but I always want to go when she comes back. Then I want my lunch. She doesn’t really pay attention because she is always putting stuff away but usually I get one of my favourites for lunch so I think that’s what she is bringing back. I don’t eat mice so this is important!