Image by wirestock on Freepik
For those who follow know I’m a journalist/public speaker, with a side flourishing business as a cat sitter. Since I began this business a year ago, I’ve been taking care of so many adorable, sweet cats. Most cats are tabbies, but I’ve taken care of some exotic breeds like a Sphynx and a Siberian.
This past week I’ve taken care of a Bengal. And due to respecting the privacy of the owner and the cat, I am not posting photos of her, nor her name. Instead I found an adorable photo on Freepik that closely represents her.
I wasn’t aware of Bengals until I reconnected with an old friend on Facebook (which I am no longer on, but still keep in touch with the friend via emails, phone calls, and texting). She has two that she shared pictures of. I was astonished by their beauty. My friend is an amazing photographer and she truly captured their essence. She also shared that they are very high maintenance and very entertaining.
I was lucky enough to learn this firsthand. Right from the meet and greet, this little sweetheart of a cat was vying for my attention. Bengals are not shy. They will not hide. They are always in the mix.
As a cat sitter, it makes your job more fun when they are active. I have the gig down to a science. Enter. Feed cat(s). While they are distracted with eating, clean the litter box. Then the remainder of time play/cuddle. If a cat is shy and hides, I’ll just talk to the cat and tell him/her that she is loved and his/her Cat Mommy and/or Cat Daddy will be home in a few days.
But that won’t happen with a Bengal. They have the energy of a child/kid/teenager. They want your undivided attention. Even when I was texted photos to the owner, this little sweetheart would paw at my leg and mew-mew-mew. After all, it’s all about her! How dare I ignore her! TOO CUTE!
She runs through the home like a gazelle. She literally bounces off the walls. Did you ever see a cat throw themselves against a wall? It’s crazy! I called her “Party Girl.” I have two more days to go with her and in the short time, she’s broken a vase and her water fountain.
For Thanksgiving, I gifted her with a few cat toys. Are they too small and boring? I wondered.
Not at all. I was happy to see, the following day, that she had them out of her basket. She liked them! A small stuffed pig and an elephant.
A year of cat sitting, I can honestly say most cats run to the door like dogs when I come. They mew, they jump on the counter, and I can’t feed them fast enough. But not the Bengal. I’ll feed her, but she’s more interested in play. She’ll take a nibble, then ignore her dish. She wants me to play with her non-stop. All the toys come out of the box as she ricochets about, zipping through her cat tunnel and pouncing on the fish toy. I’m often faster and I pull it away as she seizes. That’s when she jumps in the air and twists her body like a pretzel, then BOOM, always landing on her paws. Then she gallantly walks away and prepares for another round. This goes on nearly 40 minutes.
Yes, a cat can wear you out. It’s double my 20 minute per day cardio routine!
“Let me change your litter first, then we can play.” She’d follow me to the litter box and paw at my feet. I clean as fast as I can so I can appease this sweet little baby. When I return, I see her plate is clean. Yes, she eats, but play time is more of a priority for her.
When I start packing up my stuff, getting ready to leave–she knows. She shows her belly (a cat’s way of being vulnerable) to try to entice me to stay. “Yes, you’re beautiful, but I have to go sweetie.”
I hate to leave her. Just once she gave me a really hard time about leaving, following me to the door and trying to leave with me. Other times she just stared at me, confused. Why would anyone leave such beauty, such cuteness? she may wonder.
Let’s not forget my favorite part–the cuddles. When I first come in, she jumps on the kitchen island/counter to be at my level. I pull her close to me, scratch under her chin and kiss her little head. It’s more of the same as I’m leaving. I tell her she’s beautiful and that I love her.
I think of her often during the day and look forward to the next visit. I have two more days with her this weekend, then her Cat Mommy returns.
I will surely miss her because we both got attached to each other. If dog is man’s best friend, I can safely say a Bengal is a woman’s best friend. Throughout the decades, as cats have become more domesticated, they’ve become more dog-like and less aloof as the cat cliche paints them to be.
Every cat I’ve ever owned was more dog-like. But as cuddly and affectionate as they are, they can be fine on their own (though they may not like it sometimes, they are okay with it). It’s different with a Bengal. They won’t let you out of their site. It’s heart-warming how much they love people, and how attached they get to you.
Would I get a Bengal? As much as I’d like to say I would, unfortunately I’d have to say no. The breed would not go with my lifestyle. Cats like routine. As a journalist, I don’t have a routine. I could be home, writing for days, but then there’s events I have to go to. It breaks my heart as it is when I have to leave my three tabbies. Especially the senior, Sammy. He looks at me with those huge eyes, equivalent to a Margaret Keane painting, Where are you going, Mommy? And it breaks my heart when Dennis and I go away and have the luggage out. Our middle “child” Nicholas actually turns his back on us as if to make a statement.
An exotic cat that needs a lot of attention is nowhere in the cards for us, as I love my career to much to ever retire. I can easily love any type of cat from afar, and there’s always cat sitting which gives me a taste of different types of cats with different purr-sonalities.
Two more days to go, sitting the Bengal, and then I will miss her very much. She will always be in my heart. Sweet, sweet leopard, gazelle, cat. I trust I made her life a little easier while her Cat Mommy was out of town. She will never be forgotten. What a little doll!
If you liked this blog, feel free to buy me a kombucha!Ā https://ko-fi.com/maryannechristianomistretta
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.
āThe Gypsy Smiledā is now available in Barnes & Noble stores! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1132781418
āSo You Think You Know the Jersey Shore?ā is available at: https://omni-pub.com/product/so-you-think-you-know-the-jersey-shore/
And while we are celebrating, here is a wonderful article about the book: https://www.mypaperonline.com/beautiful-ride-in-maryanne-christiano-mistrettas-front-row-seat-to-the-jersey-shore.html
āBe (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Heroā is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, visit: Be (Extra)Ordinary
āI Donāt Want to Be Like Youā is available on Amazon. To get your paperback, Kindle or audio copy, go here: I Donāt Want To Be Like You
Her fiction book āLove Catsā second printing is now available, under the pen name Krystianna Mercury, from Pink Flamingo. You can purchase it here: https://eroticbooknetwork.com/product/love-cats/
Maryanne is also available for book editing and coaching. Rates are competitive.
And for positive messages, visit Be YOUnique, the Anti-Bullying You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLq6J9MSvcjd-haQ30ycLWA/videos
Visit my business page, Pear Tree Enterprises, at: https://peartreeenterprises.wordpress.com/
Iām also a five-star cat sitter. Need a cat sitter in North/Central Jersey? Iām available: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/NJ/kenilworth/purrrrrfect-paws-cat-sitting
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta 
You must be logged in to post a comment.