Boy Cat That Likes To Bark

by Steven McMahon
(Huddersfield, UK)

My cat, Dakota likes to chase dogs, play fetch and even walks me to the bus stop in the morning and comes to meet me from it at night, much to the admiration of my fellow passengers who sit on the same side to marvel at our comical but amazing bond. Dakota doesn't fancy being a cat much, it's a dogs life for him!

One rainy night in March 2007 I heard a small miaow, bright green eyes looked up in new found hope. He was so small! I was instantly taken with him and in a blink he was gone.. I proceeded to get in out of the cold thinking to myself "he must have gone home to his lucky master, never mind" MIAAOW!! came the familiar cry from the kitchen where the little bundle was sitting shaking and pleading with those gorgeous eyes at me. "I haven't got anything!" "aww!" he seemed to reply. i proceeded to provide him the only thing i knew cats seem to like (
for as much as i knew about cats)- milk. He devoured the plate in desperate speed and gusto as if the plate would spring legs and sprint away before his eyes.

I left him alone in quiet respect and left the front door open "he'll be gone when he's finished" i thought, disappointingly to myself, then thought in reply "why am i behaving like this?? i don't even LIKE cats! get a grip for gods sake!!" Sure enough several minutes later, an empty bowl was all that greeted me on returning to the kitchen. I closed the front door, chuckled to myself in memory of my little furry visitor and proceeded to bed.

MIIIAAAAOOOWWW!!!! "What the...." the bed came to life and the pillow flew one by one off the bed and with a WHUMP! the floor scrabbled and scratched and all went quiet. "What was THAT??" i thought "surely it's not... is it??" i slowly crouched down and peered under the bed and sure enough there was those big green eyes! "hey there!" i cooed cheerily whats you doing under there eh?" he looked down and then up and blinked "i dunno mister, but it was awful comfy in that there bed, can i crash a night?" he mewed shakily. "i suppose so kid, but just the one night huh?" "thanks" he purred.

June 2009 and i'm writing this "Dakota!!" he's killed the neighbours petagonias, i think, as a mad ball of black and white goes flying along the outside window sill and superman style out of the window "geronimoooooo!!!!". Another crazy sunny afternoon and Dakota's got me in stitches and himself in a twist yet again! The neighbours dog is in hiding round the back, Dakota's got shouting rights round here.

Yep you guessed it, Dakota is the little one that came to me in March 2007 and never left. i let him go everyday, only to find him waiting for me in the morning. The police riot squad rendezvous across the road and one morning last year, Dakota flew out a tree and chased the Alsatian police dog round and round the two trees that lie in a little green oasis in the middle of the neighbourhood!

He even walks me to the bus stop each morning with his tail up high. When we reach the side of the road and i stop he sits patiently beside me and waits. Once it's time to cross, away we go and sit together at the bus stop shooting the breeze and arguing the daily politics and whether he can wing a bit of roast chicken from my tea later on "If you leave Betty's Petagonias alone, we'll see huh?" "Ah, fair enough but i'm a hunter man you know? i need to keep the old eyes going whooosh! in there eh? know what i mean?" he chirps up. "Yeah but just not the flowers, chicken remember?" i say firmly, "okey doke- bus time! Ciao!!" he shouts and dives into the bushes away on the latest SAS mission for the day.

"Dakota looking well Steve" tony pipes from the back of the bus "Yep! he says a big howdy and a he'll bark you a happy birthday for tomorrow!" i quirk back. "he he, he's more dog than mine is thats true! what a lad."

When i look out on the world out there and bad times are playing on my mind, i only have to look down and Dakota will be looking back up to say "cheer up" What i have, it may not be much, but for us it's everything and then it's time to set off to work. "Wait for MEEEE!"

Steven McMahon

From Boy Cat That Likes To Bark to Domestic Cat

Hi Steve: Thanks for a great article. It shows how a cat can improve your life even when you first didn't like 'em. You do now I guess. I changed the title to: Boy Cat That Likes To Bark, to include the word "cat" as Google will see that and find it better...Michael PoC Admin