jannik

[yahn-ick]

that's what i dubbed the cat i found waiting for me when i returned home last night. he's my newest neighbor as i said hello to him when i passed him on the street the other day on my way to the pool. he's also my new secret pet because my parents will not let me keep him, since i am leaving for school in a few days and they don't have the time for another child and my school will not allow jannik to stay with me.

i can't decide though if it is better to lead little jannik on and treat him as a pet or if i should say "shoo!" so as not to get attached, or if i should trap him for the time being and take pictures of him and post them all over town and try to find his owner, or to find him a home.

do cats feel pain when they discover they've been led on? do cats miss their owners? or is it possible that little jannik ran away and is looking for a new friend to take him home? is it better to give him a home for now and break his heart later, or to have him be homeless a little longer but without hurting his feelings? did he recognize me without my swimsuit and towel on?

too many things to think about. so i went with my initial inclination: i played with him in the moonlight and the soft glow of my garage, on the sweet soft summer silk driveway of my childhood home. we tickled each other and became fast friends. he sang like a bird and i coo'd back at him like a dove.

we understand each other.

i was looking up at the moon and stars in the sky and thinking how different night looks when you're back home from a long absence. i wondered if it had changed much since i last looked up at it in this same location many months ago.

little jannik purred and curled up in my lap.

i felt bad, because i think he likes me but i'm not sure i can give him the love he needs. so i fed him some milk in a mickey mouse bowl and said good night.

his eyes were glowing in the night when i turned the lights off and looked back.

...

if you live in lexington, ky and want a sweet little friend, and have lots of love and milk for jannik, please let me know (in the comments). jannik needs a good home.

-stephanie