Tanya and Felix have come on a visit. They arrived with their luggage on 29th April, supposedly for one week.

Tanya and Felix hadn't planned to visit us and the reason why they came is quite sad. They lost their home; a spacious maisonette situated close to the center of town which came complete with two cat-loving humans who paid the bills. Unfortunately, both humans lost their jobs earlier this year and without their income to pay the rent, everyone had to move. The humans were offered temporary accommodation by in-laws who, sadly, had no room for Tanya and Felix.

Normally, our feline guests stay in purpose-built garden chalets. These heated two-storey houses with individual runs are within a stone's throw of the house which is situated in a quiet cul-de-sac. They have magnificent views of our tranquil back garden with its manicured lawn, mature cherry and maple trees, mixed shrub borders and ferns with lush green foliage. They have inside toilets and are equipped with a radio, scratching posts, toys and ramps. To further entertain our guests, we provide opportunities for birdwatching. The daring tree-climbing exploits and mad chase games of our own cats create additional interest. On fine days, the chalets are bathed in sunlight which provides our visitors with scope for basking. We provide all meals from a menu which changes daily.

Such is the popularity of our garden chalets that we have had no shortage of visitors since we opened them in 1998. Consequently, on the day Tanya and Felix came to stay, the only room we could find for them to live in was my husband's office. Although not ideal for cats (or my husband), we made it as inviting as possible by installing bunk beds covered with artificial sheepskins, portable toilets and toys. We also wound up the venetian blind at the window so that Tanya and Felix would have an uninterrupted view of the same garden as our other guests. Finally, we rigged up a soft light for night time use so that they would be easily able to find their way around their unfamiliar surroundings after dark.

At first, Tanya and Felix seemed unhappy with the arrangements we had made for them. On being released from their travelling boxes, they dashed behind the filing cabinet and Felix kept everyone who dared look in at them at bay by hissing like a very angry snake. Hoping to make them feel more at home, we placed their scratching post in the middle of the floor and scattered their toys around. Then, we left them to consider whether they wanted to settle in.

When I visited them a few hours later with their supper, Tanya was sitting on the scanner looking contented and Felix was crouched on the floor looking worried. As I opened the door wider, Tanya chirped, jumped down and trotted over. At the same time, Felix crouched even lower then dashed back to his hiding place. Looking around, it was quite obvious that at least one cat had been exploring. There were little black and white hairs everywhere, some papers had been knocked from a trolley and one of the litter trays had been used. Tanya ate her supper then smiled at me, arched her back when I bent down to stroke her, and after rubbing her little body against my leg, climbed onto my lap and began purring. Clearly, she had started to enjoy herself. It took Felix several days to decide that he should also try to enjoy himself.

Tanya and Felix are not the tidiest of house guests. They frequently knock everything off the windowsill and important papers off the work surfaces, leave their toys strewn across the floor, sleep in inappropriate places, such as the top of scanner and in the small gap behind the fax machine, and leave their hairs everywhere. But until they can get their lives sorted they are welcome to stay as long as they like. Tanya is perfectly happy with this arrangement. However, for Felix, being an honoured guest is fast losing appeal and he is hinting that it's time he moved on to a new life. He is frequently to be seen sitting in his travelling box.

Copyright © Sheenah Large
June 9, 2002