Bika

Hey folks,

Thought I would give you something a little bit different to read about today. As some of you may or may not know, I have never been a big fan of cats. Due to my parents' cat and dog allergies growing up, and their general aversion to wanting to have pets in the house, I was always the kid without the dog or cat. The cats I have encountered throughout my life have always seemed to me to have a "holier-than-thou" attitude and I did love my brother Juan's dog a lot, so if I had to choose, I'm definitely a dog person. Cats just aren't my friends and I am actually quite allergic myself.

Bika, the affectionate and playful little horror dwelling in/at our house

However, here in Israel, cats are like squirrels. They are all over the place, hiding in trees, patrolling the streets, mating in the next-door neighbour's front yard (where there are now 6 kittens) and of course, pawing at our door. Before I arrived, the people already living in our villa adopted a pet cat from off the street and christened her Bika (a Russian name), despite the fact that she was quite sickly and launched snot-rockets all over the patio on a regular basis. Since my arrival, she has become more than comfortable. Her condition has improved (although she still sneezes and wheezes a lot) and she is fed by my Russian roommates and comes inside and sprawls out on our couch. I actually found myself growing quite fond of her as she is quite an affectionate and playful cat and is quite cute. However, that soon changed about a week and a half ago.

This is where all cats go wrong! She adopted the "holier-than-thou" attitude and started making her way through the rest of the house.... on the upstairs patio with our laundry... in the bathroom.... and finally, one morning I awoke to find pawing at the sheets on my bed in our room. I whisked her away, recovered from a sneezing attack and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. In shock and awe, I discovered Bika in our kitchen sink! She was pawing at the discarded food and dragging it over the counter tops and sneezing as she played with the sink scraps. This was the final straw for me! I can't condone a sick animal chilling out where we wash our food, no matter how adorable or pathetic said animal may be. I called a house meeting and told my roommates how I felt about her, and reluctantly, they agreed to a consensus that she is no longer allowed in the house. I have found her inside a few times since and chased her out of the house, and due to my new attitude towards her, she fears my wrath and runs across the street. She doesn't come around the house when I'm home anymore, except to eat and when I try to stroke her behind the ears, she no longer accepts it but tries to claw at me. I guess that's the price I have to pay for banning her from our humble abode. My verdict still stands. I'm a dog person...

Ciao for now,

Max