A new life for Felix the Mexican cat

Last night was surprisingly calm, all things considered. I told my husband, Peter, that he should not plan to get a good night's sleep. I told him this because Peter has never had a cat, and yesterday, we adopted one.

I have had several cats over the years, but my last cat, Lucy, died just a few months before I met Peter, 10 years ago. Peter has had dogs all his life and knows nothing about cats (which means every cat who has ever met him finds him fascinating).

So we decided we would adopt a Mexican cat and take it to and from Mexico with us. Last Saturday, we had our first visit with Felix.

Felix is an adolescent. He was a stray cat, so we don't know exactly how old he is, but the kind ladies who rescued him are guessing he is about 5 months old. Marcela and her sister, Elena, and Elena's daughter, Daniela, brought him over to visit. I thought, right then and there, Felix was a very wellbehaved kitty. I expected him to be wild and scared in a new house. But he stretched out on the sofa and looked as if he might go to sleep.

“What a mellow kitty!” I told them.

“He is very relaxed,” Elena said.

So after we had all the supplies we needed, they brought Felix to live with us. I could tell Daniela, who is 13 and wants to be a veterinarian, was a little sad.

“Will you miss him?” I asked. Daniela nodded. But I showed her the new litter box and the carrier we bought to bring Felix back with us to the U.S., and his fluffy little bed and the two matching bowls I'd bought for him at the market. Daniela seemed to approve, and she left her little charge with us for his first night.

He fell fast asleep — until the middle of the night.

“What was that?” Peter asked. Peter sleeps with earplugs when we are in Mexico, but the noise outside our bedroom woke him. I went to investigate. It appeared there had been some small-scale vandalism in the night. The garbage can had been mysteriously overturned and bits of crumbled bread were all over the floor. “Oh, Felix!” I said.

Felix came running to me and bumped his head against me. Then he circled around me as I cleaned up breadcrumbs, purring all the while.

We fell back to sleep. A little later in the night, we heard meowing. It got louder and louder.

Marcela and Elena rescue dogs and cats from the streets. At last count, they were caring for 11 dogs and three cats, so their house must be very lively. When Felix woke, there was no one in the room but him. I imagine it must have been a surprise, waking up all alone.

“Felix!” I called. “We're in here!” Felix came running. He jumped up on the bed, discovered the two gringos under the covers and started purring again.

So far, Felix seems to be happy in his new home. He has discovered that Peter keeps all sorts of interesting things on his bedside table that can be knocked off and played with in the middle of the night. He has discovered how easily the garbage can be tipped over and how much fun can be had with the contents. And he has discovered the two sleepy people in bed who — if things get too scary — can be relied upon to scratch his chin.

I think Felix is liking his new life.

Till next time,