We recently had a cat-disliking friend visit us. Now, before you ask how I could invite such a person to Le Château, I don’t care whether or not visitors like cats as long as they pretend whilst they’re here. After all, I have to pretend all the time with people’s kids (and I do a fine job, if I say so myself).
When Cat-Disliking Friend saw Louis Catorze for the first time, he said: “That’s a BEAUTIFUL black cat! He’s like something from a story book!”
Well, that rather depends on the book. Perhaps he had something like this in mind:
Good pretending, though, mon gars. Keep it up.
Cat Daddy: “To be fair, the lighting in this house is pretty dim.”
Watching Catorze interact with Cat-Disliking Friend was interesting. He was curious, creepy-staring and screaming, but he wasn’t all over him as he usually is with men. Cat-Disliking Friend did well with the pretence, stroking the little sod whenever possible, and he even respected the sanctity of being TUC by fetching something from the kitchen whilst I was in this holy state, without me having to ask. But I would describe the Catorzian comportement as “friendly but reserved” (well, by his standards, anyway). Despite being thicker than a concrete milkshake, HE KNEW.
What a shame he couldn’t have behaved like this a few years ago. Cat Daddy and I had offered one of our spare rooms to a refugee girl in her late teens, with a view to her living with us during her university holidays until she had completed her course. However, her agency reported that she was afraid of cats.
Cat Daddy told them that we had a cat, and suggested that they bring her over for tea one day to see how comfortable she felt around Catorze before deciding whether or not to move in. Since she was a girl and not a boy, I imagined that Catorze would behave. I know. I KNOW.
The horrid little sod pounced as soon as she arrived, rolling all over her coat, hollering his guts out, with a mortified Cat Daddy repeatedly trying to shoo him away. As I was making the tea I heard the poor girl scream because Catorze had suddenly jumped onto the arm of the sofa, startling her. It was excruciating. We could have shut him in another room during her visit, but this seemed pointless if the end goal was having her live here for three years.
As our visitor left, Cat Daddy suggested that, perhaps, she might consider spending a trial weekend with us. She said she’d think about it.
We never heard from her again.
Imagine experiencing war, poverty and destitution, yet spending a weekend with Catorze is just beyond the pale. That said, we get it. We live with him mainly as an act of civic duty, so that nobody else will have to.
louiscatorze.com 
Thinking of the poor refugee girl…
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I know. Catorze frightened her away. That was low even for him!
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Looks very sweet to me! 🙂
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He isn’t!
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Sad story concerning the girl but great picture, once again.
It illustrates your words perfectly.
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He is a horrid little sod.
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A friend of mine once asked if she could stay at my place for a few days during a conference. Turned out she was scared of cats and spent the first night hidden under her sheets, even though Calinette was the kindest, sweetest cat in the universe. My friend booked a hotel the next morning and hasn’t really been “my friend” since.
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Oh my goodness! Calinette! 🖤🖤🖤 How awful for all concerned as your friend was scared, and Calinette didn’t get any cuddles!
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“To be fair, the lighting in this house is pretty dim” 🤣🤣🤣 C’est dur être Le Roi!
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No, don’t feel sorry for the little sod! He has it so easy!
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Oh dear! He has no international solidarity. Quelle surprise!
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I think it may have been over-keenness, rather than hostility. Which is just as embarrassing!
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He feels that he has trained you well. 🙂
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I dunno – he seems to think we’re pretty useless!
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What a shame, how does it feel to realise your sweet little boy is worse than all the trials a poor refugee had lived through!! It’s a good job he behaved like that for everyone to see though, just imagine the horror and terror that poor girl could have suffered had he been a perfect gentleman! I adore all animals, whatever their temperament but faced with a sudden switch of behaviour, even I can get very concerned. My mum got shredded by a cat she was visiting while his mummy and daddy were away. She’d called him in from the garden, fed him and settled down in the conservatory to stroke him because she felt sorry for him being all alone for a few days. The sun was shining and all was peaceful when without warning he attacked bit badly and scratched, leaving her bleeding profusely! Luckily this was over the road from where she lived, so she ran out of the house to the roadside and waited for any neighbour to spot her. Soon someone appeared and thought she’d been mugged, took her to the doctor and got her patched up by a nurse!! I saw the photos, it was horrendous and no the cat had never behaved like that before! He didn’t like to be petted very much but my mum thought him laying by her and looking like he wanted the company was right, but that did not mean to be stroked!!
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Good grief, that sounds horrendous! Your poor mum!
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She was very shaken and looked dreadful, she was on warfarin so it looked like a massacre and she was too scared to go back in the house to see if she’s bled on anything. The owner was horrified!
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I would be mortified if Catorze ever did that to anyone!
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Your story about the refugee girl was too good. Poor thing (I hope she found a safe place without cats).
Now that you mention it, though, he does look like the cat from a fairytale. Maybe the talking animal who turns out to be a shifty wizard in disguise? 🙂
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That’s definitely him! Shifty wizard! Hahahahaha!
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