I have a secret.

Yup, i am a cat owner. Well i have a part-time cat, who like the men in my life, find me loads of fun to hang around with but then when the novelty wears off pack their bags and leave.

His name is EBONY. I found him on a dark, rainy evening (it has to be, of course!) mewing pathetically at the lift lobby. I was with Lisz when I first saw him. He was a pathetic creature, a skinny black (hence, Ebony) baby-cat, shivering uncontrollably. Lisz and I looked at each other, she sighed as she says to me “OK, you can keep him”. So i carried Ebony back home, cradling his tiny bony body against mine, rubbing its fur, warming it up.

For a few weeks it lived in double steel cage, genius that i am (at least to my little nephews), i combined 2 large cages together into an ‘apartment’ for Ebony, complete with an old frying pan to place its kitty litter (yeah, he was THAT small), water and food bowls and some old rugs. It was a clean cat, and took to potty training like err...cat to kitty litter. No accidents. Clever Ebony.

Then one day Ebony had an accident. His paw almost doubled in size, and he was in great pain. That night he stayed close to me, snuggled against my duvet to keep warm. I could feel the heat coming off his feverish body.

Went to work disturbed, had to confess to some friends that yes, i have a cat and he’s sick. Thought about him the whole morning...what if he died on me? I would feel guilty all my life! So i drove home and took him to the vet. So Ebony stayed at the Animal Medical Centre for 3 nights.

That was when i made that commitment to Ebony. Yeah he’s mine now, he has a medical record, for heaven’s sake! And my name is there as it’s owner. Yeah, i am officially a cat owner and dare i say it? A cat lover?

Then Ebony grew older...and like all men, started to get restless. He wanted to see the world, so off he went. I came home, expecting my little bundle of black fur to greet me but no more. He’s gone.

Well they say, if you love someone set them free, if he comes back he’s yours but if he doesn’t then he was never meant to be yours.

Tough crap but it’s true.
So last night i saw him at the lift lobby, an adult cat now, grooming himself. I called out, “Ebony?” He looked up....and like it was the most natural thing in the world, purred and walked around my legs and then, followed me home.