DEFINITELY AN OMEN

Back in June I told you about Weball, the friendly cat who wandered into our house as though he owned the place. Turns out he did own the place, in a manner of speaking - he had lived here a few years before we did. Ray and I made a decision as we watched Weball loll about on the stairs: this house definitely suits a cat (and vice versa). We have the couches for a cat to curl up on, a front window in which to sit and watch passers-by and birds, and a big ol' garden to use as a litter box (heck, the neighbourhood cats already take that liberty, seems as if there's pooping to be done in our garden, it might as well be our own critter).

Second sign that cats belong here occured today, when another, different, cat jumped over Ray (who was sitting on our front door stoop, polishing shoes) and made himself at home. Maurice (as per his tags; thank goodness that people here put collars on their kitties) wandered from room to room, meowing at the top of his lungs, and while he didn't appear as "at home" as Weball, he certainly didn't seem anxious to be on his way.

The Mystery Of Maurice was soon solved when our next-door neighbour came looking for him; apparently he (the cat) is a temporary resident at their house and had somehow gotten outside and then lost. No wonder Maurice was a loud kitty - he was looking for his buddies. At least Maurice was loud and I didn't find him quite as adorable as Weball. With Weball, we debated whether to call his owner or just keep him. With Maurice, we were actively pursuing the "where the heck did you come from?" solution to his arrival.

The whole cat-making-themselves-at-home thing seems more than just a big coincidence to me. I think the feline community is joining forces to plant the idea of our own kitty firmly in our heads. Worse, I think they have succeeded...

PS. "Crash" was a great film - very adult, very dark, very well done. I definitely recommend it for a night when you want to watch something that will make you think about a tough subject matter (race relations).