Patra’s Dilemma

Diane is a good friend of mine. She’s never done me a favour in her entire life, neither have I done any for her, we argue and quarrel, but we still can’t get rid of each other. But thankfully this story is not about Diane. It’s about Brett, Diane’s boy friend, and his ‘window cat’, Cleopatra.

Now, Brett is the kindest guy I’ve ever met, the sweetest. Talk to him for ten minutes and you’ll become a diabetic. I was over at their place this evening, and couldn’t help listening to them talk about ‘Patra.’

“Did Patra come in today?” Brett was asking Diane.“Yes, she was here,” Diane said. “Who’s Patra?” I wanted to know.“My clandestine friend,” Brett responded uninvited, trying to bring in some mystery.“Oh, she’s my window cat,” Brett said.“Oh, I see… ” I said, not seeing at all. “Window cat?” “Yeah, she comes in to say hi at the kitchen window every morning.”

“Hmmm,” I nodded and kept quiet. Must be something about wanting to pick up some food. Quite a natural thing to do, I guessed. Brett turned and looked at Diane. “Guess what she was up to this morning, honey,” she said.“What?” Diane said, lighting a cigarette watching football on TV. “Patra left a half eaten mouse on the window sill, meowwed me and left,” Brett beamed.

“What?” I exclaimed. Something didn’t fit in, at least not in my world.“Cleopatra delivered four kittens last week,” Brett said.“So… ”“So since then every morning she’d take the sausage and disappear… I followed her Monday and saw that she was feeding her kittens with it. And then she’d return for a piece more… for herself…”

“Okay, I see it all,” I said. “Moms take care of their babies, you know… But what’s it about the half eaten mouse on your kitchen window?”“That’s how she’s making sure I have something to eat too… ” Brett said.

It was hot and windy when I headed back home. There was desert sand in the wind. But that didn’t stop me from seeing how it’s possible for people … and cats.. to take care of each other in times of crisis. That includes Diane. We never let each other down, come what may.