@jerrysosin - pets are the most wonderful 'extras' to human life.
I have always had 'something'! I/we had dogs, cats (usually came with a house) - pet mice brought home from school fairs, which never survived even one day (with cats about), even a little duck became part of 'our' menagerie, when I still was a 'we' and youngest daughter hatched a duck egg in her bed (!). - In about 2003 - when moving into the bush I had to take with me a 20-year old tiny cat, who never bothered the birds, nor wildlife, but the birds stayed away, just the same - they aren't stupid . . . she eventually died from old age (24 years old) - then I had a dog, which eventually gave in to an illness (body sores which I could no longer control, apparently endemic in that breed - 'Kerry' Terrier) - then a 'wild' cat, which was roaming around the neighbourhood, began getting closer over a number of months. I didn't encourage it at first, being aware of what cats do to wildlife.
(I do have a number of resident quondas who are not bothered by cats and vice versa . . . they drink from the same water bowls (I have 2 outside)
Well, famous last words - we became close, she (Lilycat) never bothered wildlife, although she loves watching the birds, and gets 'the twitch'; she was stand-offish with me for a long long time - eventually she disappeared 6 weeks before Christmas - I checked everywhere, sadly assumed she'd had an accident, and I checked with the local pound etc. checked the neighbourhood etc. - nothing, no Lilycat.
I, then was hoping that the maggies would return - they didn't! They seem to have established habits - maybe even opinions - which they can't get over for a long time (like some humans ) . . .
Anyways on Christmas Day morning, I go into the back yard and there was the tiniest, weakest 'meeeauw' I had ever heard and a raggedy, skinny, patches of fur missing Lilycat tottered up to me in the gait of a drunk - she was weak beyond belief - came in, sat on my/her favourite chair and pressed her little head against my cheek, purring all the while.
She is now back to her old self, bones no longer showing, with glossy fur, except she is a lot more clingy, less regal, than she was before. We watch TV together at night, but she is not allowed to sleep on my bed, except: once I get up, she will take a nap on the unmade bed for as long as I decide it's time to tidy up . . . and bosses me around for the several feeds she seems to need daily. She is about 16 years old, so an older cat - the former owners had her registered as well as a tiny implant made in her neck with her details. Seems they moved several streets away, across a busy road and Lillycat (they called her Tiger Lil) returned to her old haunts 11 times in 3 years, until I 'found' her. They have now moved again and have other pets.
I do believe animals, particularly domestic pets, have a lot more intelligence than we give them credit for, and they can be wonderful companions.
Here is a photo from years ago, with 'Felix' the very gentle Tomcat, and 'Oskar' the Drake cosying up to the arch enemy:
) . . .
