I was doing my work in the living room, my main door was open. I like to keep the door open when I’m working there — it lets the fresh air come in. Then I heard it.
A soft, soothing meow. Not once. Several times.
Suddenly I stopped. I know that voice. I quietly got up, crawled over to the side of the door, and peeked outside.
And behold! There he was. Standing just at the meshed door across the corridor, looking straight at me. So regal. So handsome. Eyes big and shining.
When he saw me, he meowed louder, as if saying: “There you are… where have you been?”
And our conversation began. I asked him gently, “Well… well hello there neighbour. Good to see you in your full form, standing like that.”
He replied with a very long: “Meeeeeeeeow.”
As if I understood completely. But still I had to reply: “So how has your day been in there?”
He gave not one, but two long meows.
Just when I thought we were about to have a very nice conversation, he suddenly looked to the side and rushed off.
Then I heard the voice of the lady master: “Who are you talking to?”
Immediately I pulled back and returned to my work.
It felt exactly like two forbidden lovers caught red-handed.
Someone once asked me, “Why don’t you just go over to the couple and say hi? Who knows, they might let you play with the cat.”
I have thought about that too. But you know… I suspect the wife already knows that there is a crazy cat lady living next door. And the one time she saw me, she suddenly became very protective of her cat.
As you know how cats are. You buy them the best toys. The best scratching post. The most luxurious cat bed. And where do they prefer to be? Under the table. Or worse. Running over to the neighbour’s house and refusing to come back. Which is probably what she is afraid of.
And honestly… I understand her concern. Because if that orange fellow ever manages to escape the mesh and cross the corridor… I cannot guarantee he will find his way home again.
So while continuing with my work, suddenly this mind started working. The mind of the crazy cat lady.
What if… This mind whispered. What if I just quietly slipped a small notice into their letterbox? Something very simple. “Pet sitter available in your block. Cat lover. Call this number.” Very innocent. Very professional.
But then I started imagining the other scenario. Me knocking on their door. “Hello neighbour! I’m a pet sitter. If you ever go on holiday, I don’t mind coming in to pet sit your cat.”
Immediately I imagined the wife’s face. Alarm bells ringing. Security level upgraded from Maximum Security Mesh to National Emergency Lockdown. Because honestly, if a neighbour came to my door and said that, I would also think: This one got agenda.
Also, it slightly reminds me of those horror stories. You know. The babysitter. The nice friendly babysitter. The one who slowly becomes too attached to the child. Except in this case, it’s not a child. It’s a very handsome orange cat from #137.
So maybe introducing myself directly is not a good idea. Better to be subtle. Very subtle. Just a small, harmless leaflet in the letterbox. Nothing suspicious. Nothing dramatic.
Just a simple message: “Pet sitter available in your block.” And then… we see what happens. Because sometimes, in matters of love— especially forbidden corridor love— one must be patient. Very patient.
