Alfie The Doorstep Cat

Chapter Eighteen

As I made my way down the street, I wondered who I should go to first. I didn’t know what the time was; it was still light, but as Matt had returned from work, I expected the others to be home. I thought I should really check on Jonathan, as he had been in a bit of a state when he left today, and it was his first day in his new job. I felt awful turning up yet again without a present – after all, the dead mouse and bird had helped us to bond, so I decided that I would go out later and get him a little something, just to acknowledge his new job. I found him in the kitchen when I entered through the cat flap (how I wished every house had one).

‘Hey, Alfie,’ he said, unexpectedly warmly.

I purred.

‘Right, well, today wasn’t as hideous as I thought it would be. In fact, the shitty job isn’t that shitty, and the company was nice. So, to celebrate, I bought us both sushi. I mean, I’m not sure cats eat rice, but I got you some sashimi.’ I had no idea what he was talking about but he took some trays out of a brown paper bag and I saw it was fish. Uncooked fish. He laid some out on a plate for me, and put the rest in the fridge. I looked at him questioningly.

‘I’m going to the gym, so I’ll eat when I get back.’ I miaowed in thanks and started to tuck in. I loved this sashimi and I hoped that Jonathan would get it for me again. I felt that being with Jonathan was becoming a fine dining experience and I hoped that he wouldn’t suddenly stop and give me the same tinned stuff that Claire did.

‘Don’t get too used to it,’ he said. ‘It’s only for special occasions.’ Hmmm, he really did have a knack of reading my mind.

As I was eating, Jonathan got changed and went to the gym, so I rushed over to see Claire.

Claire was in the living room watching television when I arrived. She didn’t look sad any more – maybe this was the new her.

‘Hi Alfie, I was just wondering where you were yet again.’ She fussed me. I purred with joy. Claire and I had developed our relationship in a way that was harmonious and beneficial to us both. Claire’s was still my number one home, not just because it was my first, but also because she and I had established our connection very strongly and quickly. I still didn’t always know where I was with Jonathan, although I sensed, secretly, that deep down he liked me. And the number 22 flats were still early days. But Claire and I were family, and I loved her for it.

‘Right Alfie, I am going to get changed.’ I looked at her questioningly. Where was she going? ‘I’m off to the local gym, I’ve decided that it’s time I started taking better care of myself.’ She smiled to herself as she made her way upstairs.

What was it with these humans and this gym thing? I wondered if she would go to the same place that Jonathan sometimes went to, and part of me hoped that she wouldn’t bump into him. Not yet, anyway, while they both thought I was their cat. That could be awkward.

Instead of worrying about that, I realised that I needed to go for a bit of a walk myself if I was going to work off the day’s food. On my way out, I saw Tiger.

‘Fancy coming for a walk?’ I asked her.

‘I was going to have a lazy evening, then maybe go out later,’ she said.

‘Come on, please. I need to get a present for Jonathan.’ In the end, I persuaded her to come with me by promising her first choice of any prey we caught. Women!

We took the scenic route to the local park, meeting some nice cats on the way, and some not so nice dogs. One large dog, probably twice the size of me, wasn’t on his lead. He started barking loudly and ran over to me, snarling aggressively and baring his sharp teeth. Tiger, who was more feisty than me, hissed at him, but I tried not to antagonise him. I still felt afraid but now I was better at dealing with danger, so I turned, calling Tiger, ran as fast as my little legs would take me, and shot up the nearest tree. Luckily Tiger was as quick as me and she followed me up. The dog stood at the bottom of the tree, barking furiously until his owner pulled him away. We were exhausted as we caught our breath.

‘Alfie, I told you we should have stayed home,’ Tiger admonished.

‘Yes, but then the running away is actually very good exercise for us,’ I retorted.

On the way back, I remembered that I was supposed to be getting a gift for Jonathan. As luck would have it, two nice juicy mice were hanging out by the bins of one of the houses as we made our way back. It was lucky that I wasn’t remotely hungry, otherwise I would have been tempted to munch them myself; I saw Tiger polish one of them off almost in one go.

I left the mouse by the front door for him, and then I wandered around aimlessly. I passed some relaxing time with Tiger in her garden, before deciding to go back to Claire’s.

Claire was all red and glistening when she got in. It wasn’t her best look, and she certainly didn’t smell very good, but she seemed happy.

‘Goodness me, Alfie, I’m exhausted. But then, I feel better now, doing exercise. They say it’s all about endorphins, and I have to say there must be something in it.’ As she said this, she picked me up and spun me round, giggling all the time. I tried not to mind, because I knew she was being loving, but she really did need a wash.

‘OK, time for me to take a shower.’ I felt relieved. I decided that this was a good time for me to give myself a thorough wash too.