An Unexpected Cat Lovers' Gathering
February 12th 2009 21:00
Riley and Lenny asleep outside Susannah Place Museum
It was another quiet weekend. As usual, I was walking to the Rocks with my sister. When we almost reached Susannah Place Museum my sister said she was tired and sat down to rest. I continued up towards the Museum to grab a free paper, which is available after 5pm. As I was grabbing the paper I looked up and saw a woman in the distance watching the cats, Lenny and Riley, that live at the Museum. Our eyes met. She said hello just as I said, “Cindy?” Yep, it was my flight attendant acquaintance I had met there several months ago.
I sat beside her on the steps, the two of us watching the cats and talking about cats. I showed her my latest snaps of Butterscotch and Gingersnap. When she saw the ones of Butterscotch she said he was Tonkinese.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“He looks like my mother’s Wellington and he’s a Tonkinese.” Wow! To think my handsome boy had a twin halfway across the world in Hawaii.
Because we had something in common, our conversation wasn’t as awkward as it was the first time we met. Cindy told me one of her cats recently passed away after suffering from diabetes. She said she was still feeling sad. Being away from her other cat for so long meant she missed it. Luckily enough, her mother and another relative were happy to look after her cats whenever she is flying around the world. I then told her how I still missed my ducks, even though it’s now been almost twenty years since I’ve lost them.
I was amazed by how Cindy could sit there for ages simply looking at Lenny and Riley. I’m a tactile person so if I happen to get close to any animal I want to touch it. I ended up stroking both cats while she talked. She told me Riley was only four but Lenny was about sixteen years old. I was amazed that an outdoor cat could live for so long. But then again, unlike Riley, Lenny isn’t interested in sleeping under cars or on the road. That was how Riley ended up being injured.
I then looked up and saw my sister standing behind me. Like Cindy, my sister is content with simply cat watching. I introduced them to each other and my sister started telling Cindy about the day her favourite budgie died on Christmas day.
Suddenly, storm clouds appeared in the sky. My sister and I decided it was time to go before the rain started. Cindy said she was going to stay with the cats for a while so we said goodbye. She said she will be back in Sydney in a few weeks’ time. I hope I run into her again.
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