A Cat Followed Me Home

i found a cat on my porch today.

he followed me home i guess.

and as soon as i saw this cat i loved him.

(at this point, i'm sure my mother reading this is getting pretty nervous)

i don't even like cats-

with some exceptions.

but i had been thinking yesterday about how i wanted a pet.

(at this point my mother would say, you have a pet, he lives with your dad and i.)

and i thought, my goodness, this cat has been sent by God to be my pet.

i played with him for a while and then went inside, leaving him there.

scat. i said. because there's not really another occasion to use this word...other than when you're talking about singing like a- ...i can't even think of a comparison, but thinking about all this buh, bi, bop, bopidoo, bop bop...is driving me crazy.

i told the cat, he better go ahead and leave, because it would take some self control for me not to take him in as my own.

like in tarzan.

i went inside, took care of some business, though i couldn't help but go back and look out the front door a few minutes later.

the cat was still there.

he needed me.

he loved me.

and i loved him.

(mom: oh brother...)

i went back outside and played with him some more.

then i hear someone call over to me.

it's my neighbour, a couple houses down.

"oh you're playing with Sela!"

beat.

'this is YOUR cat???????'

"yes, i have three."

beat.

(he has three)

'oh. 

ok.

he's pretty.'

and you know he still tried to follow me into my house?

disappointment was followed by relief as i thought about all the hair that would be on my clothes and the filthy litter box i would have to clean out.

that cat already had a home.

and i don't really like cats anyway.