Ko loves cats. Ko loves cats so
much that we had to post an offer for catsitting on Facebook, seeking some 
cat owner willing to give up their beloved pet for a week or two for the sole purpose of making Ko's wish of having a cat in the house a reality. To our surprise, there was a quick response to our posting. A Scottish couple, heading back to Scotland for 10 days took us up on our offer and, one Tuesday evening, they stood at our door with two cats, a bag of litter, a bunch of cat food, and a giant scratching post. Ten month old Stanis and three month old Renly hid under the couch that first night. The next day, they came out looking for food. And, on the third day, Ko ushered little Renly out onto the balcony. This happened despite our having set the ground rules of "no cats outside". I had already caught Ko letting Renly out onto the balcony just 30 minutes before. Still, he did it and, with that, Renly was gone, hopping from balcony to balcony until he was out of sight. We put food outside and waited as long as we could before we had to leave for work. That evening, no Renly. I put up signs near the elevators but the security promptly had them taken down. No breaking the rules in Singapore even if it is the name of finding a 
lost cat. The next day, no Renly, The day after that, no Renly. Three days later, no Renly. We had given up hope. An uneaten bowl of cat food still sat on our balcony, we called his name once in a while, and we even asked Stanis to "go find [his] buddy". Finally, we sent the email we had been avoiding and dreading for five days. We lost your cat, it said. Then, just hours after sending that message, at midnight, a knock at our door. A resident of the building had found a small, white cat outside in the bushes and her friends were watching and feeding it. She mentioned that her mom had seen our notice by the elevator. It had been up for less than 20 minutes before the regulation police had come along to remove it. I went downstairs to find Renly, skinnier and scruffier but still the same Renly and excited to come back upstairs where his buddy Stanis and lots of food waited for him. Over the next few days, our apartment became smellier and dirtier by the minute and the boys lost interest in the cats. Our dream of the cats nestled between our boys in bed by night and playfully keeping everyone happy and entertained by day had fallen apart completely. Our place was a mess and smelled like a giant litter box. The boys could care less and we kept all doors and windows locked in fear of another lost cat. It was awful. There were no tears or sad goodbyes when the Scots returned to claim their cats. If this was any kind of a trial run of becoming pet owners than the answer to this question is a very definite "no". Thanks but, no thanks. A week later, though, I do miss those little guys but, not enough.
cat owner willing to give up their beloved pet for a week or two for the sole purpose of making Ko's wish of having a cat in the house a reality. To our surprise, there was a quick response to our posting. A Scottish couple, heading back to Scotland for 10 days took us up on our offer and, one Tuesday evening, they stood at our door with two cats, a bag of litter, a bunch of cat food, and a giant scratching post. Ten month old Stanis and three month old Renly hid under the couch that first night. The next day, they came out looking for food. And, on the third day, Ko ushered little Renly out onto the balcony. This happened despite our having set the ground rules of "no cats outside". I had already caught Ko letting Renly out onto the balcony just 30 minutes before. Still, he did it and, with that, Renly was gone, hopping from balcony to balcony until he was out of sight. We put food outside and waited as long as we could before we had to leave for work. That evening, no Renly. I put up signs near the elevators but the security promptly had them taken down. No breaking the rules in Singapore even if it is the name of finding a 
lost cat. The next day, no Renly, The day after that, no Renly. Three days later, no Renly. We had given up hope. An uneaten bowl of cat food still sat on our balcony, we called his name once in a while, and we even asked Stanis to "go find [his] buddy". Finally, we sent the email we had been avoiding and dreading for five days. We lost your cat, it said. Then, just hours after sending that message, at midnight, a knock at our door. A resident of the building had found a small, white cat outside in the bushes and her friends were watching and feeding it. She mentioned that her mom had seen our notice by the elevator. It had been up for less than 20 minutes before the regulation police had come along to remove it. I went downstairs to find Renly, skinnier and scruffier but still the same Renly and excited to come back upstairs where his buddy Stanis and lots of food waited for him. Over the next few days, our apartment became smellier and dirtier by the minute and the boys lost interest in the cats. Our dream of the cats nestled between our boys in bed by night and playfully keeping everyone happy and entertained by day had fallen apart completely. Our place was a mess and smelled like a giant litter box. The boys could care less and we kept all doors and windows locked in fear of another lost cat. It was awful. There were no tears or sad goodbyes when the Scots returned to claim their cats. If this was any kind of a trial run of becoming pet owners than the answer to this question is a very definite "no". Thanks but, no thanks. A week later, though, I do miss those little guys but, not enough.
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