I gotta take care of a cat for two days this week. A friend of mine and also a co-worker is going to Portland for a business trip. He left this evening. Before he did though, I went over to his place and got the instructions for caring for his cat, Begbie.
Begbie was once feral I believe or at least lived part of his life without a caretaker, so he had to fend for himself outside. As such, he’s not as friendly as other cats that have been pets all their lives. He was very aloof when I met him this afternoon. My friend suggested giving him some treats to win him over. I placed two in my hand, kneeled down, and showed him the treats. He looked at them, looked at me, and then looked back at my friend, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of the whole situation and this new idiot. He didn’t trust me enough to take the treats, so I had to put them back.
My friend instead got out the cat food for Begbie and fed him. This was useful so I could see how much and what to feed the cat. After eating, I was thinking perhaps he was content enough for me to try to pet him. I went over to where he was chilling out, let him sniff my hand a bit, and then went for a pet. He jerked back at my attempt. Alright, so he wasn’t going to be too friendly today. I gave up.
My friend gave me keys to his apartment and I left. I gotta feed him tomorrow after work and same thing on Wednesday. I look forward to it.