At first she thought it was a fox, but further sightings made her begin to think that it was a cat.
She started to put out food for it, which it began to eat on a regular basis.
Then he began to emerge from the undergrowth to eat in view.
Yes, it was indeed a large ginger cat.
As the friendship developed, the cat (now christened Aubrey - my mum likes to give animals odd names) became more friendly, and would sit on my mum's lap for a cuddle. They became good friends.
Then we all began to have the thought - did Aubrey have an owner out there who was wondering what had happened to their cat?
So Aubrey was caught and taken to the vet to be scanned for a microchip.
And he did have a chip!
And there was an anxious owner who was desperate for news.
Aubrey was returned to his owner, who lived a few miles from Humphrey's field.
Mum missed her little friend, but consoled herself with the thought that he was back in a house, with a loving owner and all that went with it.
A couple of weeks passed, but then, you guessed it, Aubrey returned to Humphrey's field. He clearly preferred the wild life to being in a house, taking up residence in Humphrey's hay stack. We did not try to return him to his owner again - the return trip would have taken Aubrey over some very nasty roads, and we all know that cats will live where they choose, now where they are put.
So Aubrey has lived in the hay stack and in the bushes around Humphrey's field ever since. I am always careful to stack the hay in a way that allows him to go right into the middle of the stack, making a nice toasty home in the winter. When the weather is really bad, we suspect that he visits some of the nearby houses - one day he turned up all bathed and brushed - but he always returns to see my mum for food and cuddles.
And I have started to make a little progress with him now, too. This morning he walked just a few feet from me while I was talking to mum. The lure of breakfast was clearly stronger than his instinct to avoid me....
11 comments:
Aww! Another great story! I'm guessing Aubrey can feel your mum's (and your) love and respect for animals, which is why he returned.
And I bet he'll never go back to the house that bathed and brushed him. I've never known a cat who would put up with that.
ShadowRun300 - Yes, my mum has always put animals above humans - people can look after themselves! :-)
Yes, cats go where THEY decide! Aubrey is the master of his own universe. He sounds like he's got him a good thing going.
Abby - He does seem to be enjoying living life on his own terms...
Interesting how cats seem to know where the food is. Aubrey is a very independent soul, not willing to settle for just one home. Perhaps she is keeping the mice away from Humphrey's paddock.
Agg79 - If he is trying he is failing badly. I caught 2 in Humphrey's food store the other day...
What a sweetie! Yeah, don't try to tell a cat what to do. They'll just snicker.
So KIND and intelligent to leave a space between the hay bales!! All animals should be cared for and loved.
Good for Aubrey to lead a life of his own and not pandering to the whims of humans. My son has 2 cats.... one is friendly and does all the right things, sit on laps, sleeps on beds, purrs etc, the other was rescued from a ditch, and has decided to live in the basement, never coming upstairs and hiding from everyone except my son`s wife when it`s dinner time. Once wild, always wild I guess.
A true cat... goes where he wants, when he wants, in spite of the fact that he has a perfectly good home and loving owner!
Awwwww. I'm happy that Aubrey is exactly where that cat wants to be! And it's good for your mum too!
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