It was winter of 2011 when I house sat for my next door neighbor for a week, he had a big black cat and a few chickens. Since that summer the black cat who walked every morning down the sidewalk in front of my home made my dog Oscar bark crazily from our bedroom window where he laid on the fluffy pillows. The black cat was focused on every morning getting over to Bernice's home on the other side of my place. She was always setting out her bacon grease and pieces leftover from her breakfast. This cat knew how to survive and how to get there first everyday!
He was always around my front yard when I pulled weeds or mowed so I instantly chit chatted with him, instantly admire his focus on getting the bacon every single morning, he always walked on the sidewalk too. I hadn't figured out whose cat he was in the neighborhood until talking with the young man next door. Every night that fall about 3am I would hear him call out his side door "Here kitty kitty." then that same black cat came flying into his home. I had learned the cat's name was Lewis, so every morning I would see Lewis walking down the sidewalk to see if Bernice had leftover breakfast again, I would sit on my front step drinking coffee in my house coat saying "Good Morning Mr. Lewis." He would watch me in caution and alarm then slowly as it grew closer to winter he would come up to me for a petting and a rub as I chatted away with him. Then I began to pick him up and hold him in my lap, loving him was easy I observed how smart he was out and about in his neighborhood. When I house sat for his owner Alex I felt very comfortable with Lewis by then and swoop him up in my arms like nothing was wrong, while Alex looked alarmed warning he's not a trusting cat, be careful and I just grinned because Lewis and I were already friends. Every day I fed him, petted him and laid on the floor of the dark lonely house chatting it up with him while his owner was gone, this is what good neighbors are for house sitting and care taking!
I didn't want Lewis to feel so lonely or get stuck outside those rainy winter nights so I spent twice a day with him.
After that Lewis never hesitated to run up to me for loves, and when the very next summer arrived we all moved into that very same house, Lewis's owner left him behind since it was the only home the black cat knew, I had no problem over seeing Lewis meals and every day care, the young man who still was living upstairs seemed confused as to what to do with the cat and 2 weeks would go by with him gone so really Lewis was my cat from the very start of living there! The many many little stories I watched over those 3 years of how Lewis adapted carefully to my dogs, how he realized Tinker was all hiss and no bite, and one stormy crazy night I ran through out the dark wet streets calling out for him in panic of the crazy winds and following branches "Lewy baby boy Lewy! where are ya?" His response running towards me down the long sidewalk and his bursting out purring when I scooped him up in my arms rushing back inside our cozy warm home. He clearly loved being love like that, now he sits in the window on the desk looking out unto the world like the old wise fat cat he is! I have loved him since I met him, I have never stopped looking out for him, never stopped chatting away because he knows he hit the jackpot with me! I sit back as Lewy rubs into my hair resting on my shoulder, as he sleeps deeply next to the Christmas tree glow or late at night he curls up into my feet on the bed, our friendship started out slowly developing trust first, now he is my own cat, loyal only to me still. I may of lost his owner's friendship due to moving out and all kinds of poor communication and weirdness but I still have this amazing cat full of animation and admiration! I couldn't be more proud of my Lewy boy!
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