The cat, Baloo, obviously likes her beloved owner, Ben, but she doesn’t seem to think much of him as a hunter.
She began doing the hunts for him as a devoted little house panther.
As a token of her appreciation, the sweet kitty had gotten into the habit of catching critters in their backyard and surprising Ben with them in the morning as he lay in bed. Mostly, Baloo would bring in little mice, but sometimes small birds.
The cat seemed to know how to catch and carry them gently; her prey was never injured.
Ben recalled that he would awaken to find her on his chest, holding something in her jaws that she would then drop on my face or chest and meow. I’m not sure if she anticipated that I would believe it to be breakfast or just a present.
Ben would then have to capture them, release them back outside, because Baloo’s “gifts” were always still very much alive.
Everyone had to deal with Baloo’s unsolicited philanthropy, it’s fair to say.
Seeing how unappreciative Ben seemed to be about her hard-earned gifts, Baloo was perplexed.
“She always looked so confused and sad, which made me feel pretty bad,” Ben said.
Baloo eventually came to the realization that perhaps animals from the backyard weren’t what her human wanted. But rather than give up hunting things for Ben entirely, she simply switched up the kinds of gift she was giving.
If he doesn’t enjoy mice and birds, perhaps a leaf will be more to his liking? And sure enough, it was.
“She started giving me leaves after a few months of me turning down her presents. They were consistently large, attractive leaves “said Ben. I would take the leaf and play with it as she sat on my chest as a token of my thanks because it was such a relief from having to deal with live mice every morning.
Baloo was aware of the situation. The cat would subsequently discover a beautiful leaf every morning and deliver it to Ben:
She was aware that she was acting at this moment.
To vary things up, Baloo would occasionally surprise Ben in the morning with a twig rather than a leaf.
Ben was happy to see Baloo’s change of heart, and there’s little question that all the backyard animals Baloo used to chase were as well.
Ben said, “It warms my heart thinking of her on a tiny mission to locate a present for her human each morning.
More recently, following their move to a less hunt-friendly home, Baloo seems to have decided to put her prowling ways behind her — opting for a lazier cat type of lifestyle.
Now, instead of gifting flora or fauna, she expresses her appreciation through plenty of snuggles. And for Ben, that’s more than fine.
“She will comfort me when I’m feeling down,” Ben said. “She’s not a lap cat by any means, but when I’m upset or nervous she will hop up onto me, push me back so I lay down and then she’ll just sit on my chest purring like mad and nuzzling my face with her nose. She’s a very loving cat.”
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