Hi hive family,
As it is Caturday today, I will share the story of Davy with you all.
It was in October 2016 when I went to live on my own in a small apartment which I had rented. Shortly after, my sister joined me and we had a pleasant time together. I have always loved cats and I wanted to adopt one, but I was not allowed by the owner of the apartment to bring animals there.
About 6 months later we started having trouble with mice in the apartment. Afterwards, it turned out that the neighborhood had always been bothered by mice, only the owner had never communicated this to us.
We tried many things against the mice, but nothing helped. Then someone gave me the idea to adopt a cat.
'Even though it doesn't catch mice, the smell of a cat also keeps the mice away.' , they said.
I brought this proposal to the owner of the apartment, who then agreed. 'Only 1 cat.'
And my search for a cat began. I sent messages around to my friends and cousins that I was looking for a cat. Two days later, I got a whatsapp message from my cousin.
Someone had dumped 4 kittens in the street where he lived. Three kittens had already been adopted, but there was still 1 cat for whom he was looking for a home.
I drove over there. It was a pitiful sight. My heart broke at the thought of the mother cat who now no longer had her little ones with her. My cousin handed me a small, white-brown kitten that stared at me with big eyes.
I brought him home and my sister and I gave him the name Davy, which means ‘handsome’.
The first night Davy was allowed to sleep in the bedroom with me. I slept on the bed and he slept on a mat on the floor. But Davy didn't like that. Halfway through the night I felt something warm on my chest. And there Davy was: sleeping, in peace.
Davy was always playful, teasing us and loving us.
He loved posing for pictures. And he was terribly jealous when it came to me.
If I went out with a girl friend, Davy was totally okay with it. But as soon as I went out with a gentleman, whether it was a date or just a friend, Davy would just stay away from home for 2-3 days.
Davy would very often chase me everywhere. Even in the bathroom.
One of the craziest things Davy ever did was to tip over my laundry basket and wring himself in my underwear.
Davy loved cuddling.
And he could sleep in the strangest positions.
But he would never sleep without me. If it was already evening and I wasn't home, Davy would wait for me at the gate. He didn't eat or sleep without me. People would tease me about it and they often said that Davy thinks of me as his wife.
Davy was like my child to me, but as he got older, the owner of the apartment suddenly began to realize that he didn't want a cat in his apartment after all. I was angry, because not only did I loved Davy very much, the mice also stayed away.
I had no other place to live back then. In my country apartments at reasonable prices are hard to find and I was not well off financially. After arguing for a long time, I had to give Davy away with pain in my heart. Someone else adopted him. It was the best thing to do at that moment because I was afraid people otherwise would poison him.
Giving Davy away was the most painful thing in my life so far. The day I gave him away, I spoke to him. Davy put his paw on my cheek and I could sense that he understood my situation. He stroked my cheek, jumped out of my lap and walked to his new owner with his head bowed. Not once did he look back. I understood that he did not want to see me again and that’s why I did not go to see him after that. That would only confuse him and on top of that make him sad.
I swore I would never adopt another cat until I had my own home. Writing about it now still brings up tears.
But I am grateful for the time I had with Davy and for the love I got from him.
The love of an animal is unconditional and totally unlike the love of a human.
'I will always love you Davy. You have a special place in my heart.'
Note: My first language is Dutch; so if there are mistakes in my English text, please forgive me.