Photograph: Seven Capital
A few years ago, while at work, I suddenly had the urge to get a cat. I searched for one and drove two hours from work in Solihull to Northampton, passing through the busy city of Birmingham to reach the seller.
With a carrier cage and a treat, I looked around for the place where the cat had been reared.
At that time, I didn鈥檛 have a sat nav, but with enthusiasm, I reached the place in no time.
There, I saw a few types of cats and three Bengal kittens鈥攖wo boys and a girl. The boys were a bit show-offy, climbing a pole all the way up to the rooftop, while Penny sat calmly on the floor. I picked Penny, saying, "No way, I would never have those bossy boy cats in my house."
I took her home, but on the second day, she went missing, and I looked around the village for 3 days. I put an advert around the village with her photo, saying my new cat was lost.
After three days, she appeared, just hiding behind the wardrobe. She came out, stretching, and had food, seeming fine.
Once she was settled in, I installed a cat flap in the house so she could go in and out, knowing she loved the outdoors.
Photograph: Britannica
I was shocked one morning to find a Japanese Koi carp dead in the garden. These fish are pretty expensive, and they can cost up to 拢2,000. I thought, "Why would someone throw this fish here?"
The next morning, there were a few more. That鈥檚 when I realised it wasn鈥檛 someone throwing them here; Penny had fished them out of the neighbours' pond. She didn鈥檛 eat them, but she was playing with them.
We punished her and kept her indoors, thinking she had learned her lesson.
She was again allowed in and out without issue until one day she caught all my birds in the aviary without even going inside the cage.? She killed them all!
At that point, no one liked Penny. She knew it too.
I tried to pet her, and despite still loving her, she was only nice to me. She would hiss at anyone else and scratch them.
If I were with a group, she wouldn鈥檛 come near, but if everyone left, she would jump beside me and be sweet. And anyone who came near me while I was cuddling her would get a scratch from her.
I thought maybe she needed a friend. Perhaps she was lonely since she was spayed and had no cat family to keep her company.
Photograph: Cottontails Rescue
Not ready yet for another cat, so I got a black rex rabbit named Harry. As I introduced Harry, Penny's eyes lit up, and she tried to play with him. I thought, "This is going to work," and it did!
They ran around together, and Harry was so playful that he chased Penny. But when Penny climbed up a tree, Harry got disappointed because he couldn鈥檛 climb.
Everything was going well, and Penny would sleep on the roof of Harry's House, always wanting to be near him.
I thought Penny had a heart, too. But one day, a dog came into our garden without a leash and barked so much that it gave Harry a heart attack. He died from the shock.
Penny got depressed, looking for Harry, and would sleep on his empty cage.
Then Penny did all the same annoying things鈥攈issing, scratching, hunting, and fishing. The neighbours didn鈥檛 like her. We kept her indoors, and she didn鈥檛 like anyone except me. It hurt my heart seeing people dislike her.
I thought I would get another cat, hoping to ease her out, like what Harry the rabbit did, and they could play together and have a friend.
So, I brought in a new cat named Coco. , who is black, like Harry, hoping that Penny could relate to her. But Penny acted differently this time.
She didn鈥檛 like Coco at all and even scratched her head open. Penny was constantly looking for any chance to attack her. I thought it was cruel for an older female cat to treat a tiny kitten like that.
I consulted a vet behaviourist, and she said Penny needed a new start in a single-animal household in a quiet, low-traffic environment with someone experienced and patient. It was heavy on my heart, but I had to do what was best, and she would also have killed little Coco, and I didn鈥檛 want that.
I couldn't hold back my tears as I dropped Penny off with the lovely lady who chose to adopt her, and she lived in a very rural area with no other pets around. I gave Penny a tight hug, feeling her for the last time. As I left, she stared at me as if asking, "Why are you abandoning me?" That moment still lingers in my memory and brings tears to my eyes.
The last I heard, Penny is doing well, but I can鈥檛 visit her to avoid confusing her as she settles in.
That鈥檚 the story of my cat, Penny, sweet but wild.
I still cherish the precious memories I made with her.
Have a lovely day,
Mariah 馃挆馃樅
