PETS

By Eric (Discover English Teacher)

As a single person living alone I have spent the last few months in the company of my cat.  Pets are wonderful friends who support us and comfort us; even when we’re travelling the distant corners of the world and far from our furry friends, just thinking about them can bring a warm smile to our faces.  I’m going to tell you about my cat…

Swivel is her name and she’s almost fifteen years old.  She’s a lazy fatty but she’s so sweet.  I got her when she was not much heavier than a strawberry, only eight weeks old.  She is much, much heavier than a strawberry now.  She came from the local bar – the local bartender had a cat that was constantly having kittens, and so he was always looking for homes for them.  I sometimes think that every cat in North Melbourne is related to this grizzly matriarch.

Swivel loves to sleep next to me in the bed – it’s very sweet but she purrs like a motorcycle and it makes sleeping difficult.  Her favourite game is to wait until I am asleep, then she jumps on me.  She weighs almost seven kilos, so it’s a big, fat surprise!  I wake up shocked – Oh my god!  What was that!  Then she runs off and waits until I’m just finally getting back to sleep and jumps again – crazy cat!  She can play this damned game for hours.  It’s why I’m always a little tired.

Swivel is a lap-seeking missile – as soon as someone sits down BAM, she’s suddenly in your lap and gets pretty angry when you try to stand up.  Sometimes, instead of sitting in your lap, Swivel will give you a good grooming.  She can spend hours licking and combing your hair – if you try to move away she’ll grab your head and pull you back into the salon.  It’s so weird.

Pets really are the strangest people.  Do you have a pet?  What strange and cute things do they do?  Even though they might be far away and we miss them, their sweet cuddliness still warms us.