Pumpkin, Pumpernickel, Morticia & Puss
Pumpkin, the cream Persian with huge orange eyes, sinus problems and an incredibly rough tongue, has been through a lot of changes since his last stay with us.
At the ripe old age of 6 and a quarter months he has had a successful nose job, which has cleared his sinus’s and has very recently become the proud big brother of a 4 month old, solid black, Persian kitten called Pumpernickel (formerly known as Stupendous Jimmy Choo).
Pumpkin’s owners had been looking for a kitten to join their family for a while. They worried Pumpkin was lonely during the day and were licked raw by his constant need to groom their faces at night. The two kittens hit it off straight away and Pumpkin showed his approval by giving Pumpernickel an immediate and thorough grooming.
By the time they had arrived at NHCC’s Headquarters the siblings had bonded in a way most human parents can only dream of.
Pumpkin is immediately comfortable, following me to my desk, and staring up at me with his big amber eyes. Pumpernickel, is a bit more reserved and watches us wide eyed from his perch on the sofa. By 10pm after, a day of exploring, the two cats are settle on my bed and I squeeze in beside them. At 3am I’m forced to move over as Pumpkin climbs onto my pillow. By 3.30pm Pumpernickel has followed suit and by the morning they have one side of the bed and I have the other.
With slightly less sleep than is usual, I prepare the kitties breakfast before leaving for my usual daily round of cat visits.
My first client of the day is Morticia, a large, gentle Scottish Fold who is clearly missing her owners. Given to melodrama, Morticia wails loudly when she hears my key in the door. She approaches slowly her large eyes fixed on me and her legs stiff with arthritis.
After feeding, watering and cleaning her litter, I sit on the floor with her and she climbs onto my lap for a cuddle. I spend the rest of our visit stroking her soft thick grey fur and she is soon purring appreciatively. She likes a good cheek and chin rub and I don’t stop until she climbs down to resume her breakfast.
My next visit is in the same apartment complex, a new customer that has been given my name by the building’s concierge. I see Puss sitting on the dining table, staring at me out of her front room window as I cross the grass to her home. Puss is an unusual, one year old British Short Hair. She has clear light blue eyes and one side of Puss’s face is pure black while the other tortoiseshell. It’s my first visit and Puss is understandably shy but cannot help approaching my proffered hand for a sniff. For most of the visit she stays in sight whilst keeping her distance. I lay on the floor and pretend to be asleep and before long she is sniffing my hands and climbing onto my back to sniff my hair.
By lunchtime I’m back home with my resident guests, Pumpkin and Pumpernickel. They are both happy to see me and I scoop them into my arms for a cuddle. These uncomplicated cats are both playful and funny. Pumpkin play’s his part as big brother and happily shows Pumpernickel around. My time is split evenly between the two of them, taking it in turn to clean their eyes and brush their coats. That evening I manage to get to bed before them and with a cold looming I build a protective barrier of cushions around my head to keep them at bay. I wake a few hours later feeling my nostrils tickled by fur and find myself sandwiched with a kitty wedged firmly either side of my head. By morning I am at the far side of the bed while the siblings have taken over the remaining space and stare at me expectantly ready for breakfast.
Morticia’s owners message me just as I’m about to leave the house for her visit, they are on the way home and don’t need my services this morning. Whilst I am sad that I don’t get to say goodbye I am happy that Morticia will have her family back.
So it’s back to see Puss, for my first visit of the day. When she hears the door opening she comes running towards me from the back bedroom, no doubt hoping it’s her owner arriving home. When she realises its me she swerves and keeps running straight past and into the front room, ducking behind a convenient armchair. I manage to coax her out with treats, gently rubbing her cheeks and soon she is rolling around on the floor purring contentedly.
