Poor lonely cat

It is a common belief that cats are independent and perhaps anti-social. It is true that they don’t need much attention from humans as they are capable of taking care of themselves; toileting, defending themselves and even finding food. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t like human contacts. Maybe stray cats are more reserved on this subject but cats which have regular contacts with humans, do want their regular greetings and physical contact.

 

A recent incident proved that Mon Chat missed having daily contact with us. We were away two weeks ago in Lisbon and the cat was left alone for 3 days. She must have felt abandoned and lost her self-esteem. On the first day of our return, we welcomed her into our house as usual after feeding her. She sniffed around and looked a little suspicious. We were surprised when she turned her backside around towards the radiator and…..there, she sprayed! She has never peed nor poo-ed in our apartment before. We knew that cats are very particular about toileting and we were thinking that this incident must have nothing to do with hygiene problem. As we read up about cat behaviours, we learned that spraying is an action carried out to mark territories and also to boost confidence. Spraying is not intended for the same purpose as peeing, which is to relieve the bladder.

 

During the same period when we went away, there was another cat in the neighbourhood who hung around often outside our apartment and we could sense that Mon Chat feels threatened. When we put pieces of information together, we concluded that Mon Chat felt abandoned and insecure and this resulted in such an unusual behaviour.

 

We quickly put back the usual schedules in place, i.e. usual feeding in the morning, a quick greeting during breakfast and a caress in the evening. Little by little, her confidence is restored. About the sprayed radiator, I removed the pee straight away after the “unfortunate” incident (it smells!) with detergents. I wanted something to cover the pee odour and I read that there is such a spray that replicates the odour of the cat’s face and chin and it’s supposed to make the cat feel relaxed. The closest product I could find at Truffaut’s is catnip spray. It says on its label that the odour will make the cat feel drunk and happy. Of course, I giggled when I read this. Anyway, it appeared to me as a good enough alternative to just make Mon Chat forget about the whole incident and not to repeat it.

 

The product worked, funnily though. When the cat first realised that there’s something about the area near the radiator, she sniffed and examined the surface. Then she licked the surface as if there’s something to eat (actually there was nothing). We observed her moves and were almost shrieking at the sight of any squatting positions. But spraying never happened anymore. The “drug” worked on the cat!  She looked cheerful.

 

She’s now as contended as before.

Tradition of generosity

Our Mr. President’s famous quote “work more to earn more” is true in many senses but of course, with many economic factors such as inflation and taxes getting in the way, we actually have to work doubly hard to achieve a significant pay increase. Nevertheless, I was brought up in my culture to work hard in order to have a comfortable life. I always wonder if I would get complacent when I move to France. As I adapt to the French culture, I start to have work-life balance and I appreciate my personal time. Regardless of the perks I’m getting more than I used to, I still feel the desire to work harder to earn more. We’re not badly paid but we’re not exactly very well-off either. But I can’t say that my husband and I would have the quality of life that my parents are having back in Malaysia. My dad had worked hard and earned decent enough to provide us a home independent of debts. He was determined to have my education fund ready by the time I was 19 so that I could pursue my bachelor’s degree in the UK. My parents showered me with the best wedding gifts and the most beautiful wedding banquet in a classy hotel. I conclude that if my dad had not worked hard to be well-rewarded, he would not have been able to give so much to me. As I reflect on this, how I wish I could pass such values and generosity to my children. I dream of putting my family in a comfortable home in one of the most beautiful French villages. I wish giving my children romantic wedding banquets in l’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, offering the most precious gifts….. all the generosity that I wish to pass on from generation to generation and that the tradition would continue.