Why I Carry Fancy Feast In My Bag

You Never Know When Someone Might Need a Snack!

My sweetie-cake.

Earlier this summer, I was taking an early morning walk through my neighborhood when I happened upon the most wonderful kitty…

A slender Tuxedo cat with black fur and white socks and gloves quaintly perched atop a set of stairs leading up to a neighbor’s front door.

I immediately stopped in my tracks, gasped, and devoted all of my loving attention to this cat, the same way I do for every cat I come across.

“Hi Kitty!” I enchantedly chirped, outstretching my right paw for sniffing inspection. He gazed at me curiously, and slowly rose to make his way down the steps.

I was sure that I had come across this cat before—or at least his sibling. But most of the stray cats in the area had never given me the time of day, despite all of the love songs I sing to them. This cat was different. He actually came over to give my hand a sniff of approval!

That is when a pang of disappointment hit me. I didn’t have any treats to offer.

I had a small bag of crunchy Wellness Kittles, but they were in my other tote bag, at home. Why did today have to be the day I didn’t have them on-hand?

It might seem strange for me to say this, but whenever I try to befriend a stray cat without offering them food, I feel like a cheapskate. Cats are so precious about their energy, and they know their worth. Plenty of humans want to enjoy their soft fur and cute face. I need to come with incentives!

But my disappointment soon turned into care and concern. That early morning was the beginning of a massive heat wave. This cat didn’t look like he was suffering, but he was a bit skinny for an adult. I considered the prospect of him spending his energy looking for food, exhausting and dehydrating himself in the process. He needed water! That is when I gazed at the grocery store a couple of blocks away, and decided to buy him a can of wet food.

“Stay here!” I said, glancing back at him every few steps as I walked away. “If you leave, I can’t feed you!”

He sat on the sidewalk watching me walk away, as I looked back to check on him until he was no longer in my line of vision. I didn’t want to waste my time getting food if he was just going to leave the vicinity, but I had to try.

I walked into my favorite grocery store, and made a beeline for the pet food section. Naturally, I wanted to get the healthiest, most nutritious option available, so I intuitively chose Fancy Feast. The can was smaller and more expensive than the others, so I assumed it had something special to offer. I deliberately chose a Chicken flavor, in gravy-smothered chunks. Only the best for my babies!!

Unfortunately, when I returned to the scene, he was gone. That is when I put the can of Fancy Feast in my tote bag, determined to carry it everywhere until I saw him again.

I did see him again, about a week later, on my daily walk. But much to my chagrin—I wasn’t carrying the particular bag where I kept the fancy feast, and I was empty-handed. He was still gently warming up to me, but I really wanted to feed him.

So once again, I pilgrimaged to the grocery store to buy yet another can of fancy feast! Just like the first time, we watched each other as I walked away.

“I’ll be right back!” I said.

I bought a Salmon Paté, popped it in my bag, and went back to his territory, but he was no longer there. I felt a bit deflated. However, the upside was that I now had two cans of cat food, so I could place one in each of my usual tote bags, and never be caught slippin’. Doubly-equipped!

On my way home, I ran into a neighbor—a young woman who lives in my building who also loves cats. She also has a cute kitty who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a few times! I stopped to greet her while she was waiting outside for her ride, and told her about the stray cats I intended to feed. I pulled out the can of fancy feast with an innocent grin on my face.

“This is the second time I am returning and they’re not there!” I bemoaned.

She seemed amused by the lengths I had gone to for these cats. But oddly enough, she was not very encouraging.

“Yeah well, they’re all fed so…they’re probably not interested. But yeah, you keep trying though!”

Her last phrase “you keep trying though!” carried a sarcastic tone, as if to say In Your Dreams!

She pointed at me as she said it, and then backed away to get into her friend’s car, which had just arrived to pick her up.

…

To be honest, that hurt! I felt like I had shared a soft, tender part of myself, only to have someone tell me that I’m foolish for wanting to nurture it.

Furthermore, it didn’t make any sense. She made a blanket statement about how the stray cats in the area are not interested in my food.

She was not aware that the particular cat I wanted to feed seemed to be surviving OK, but he also looked like he was no stranger to missed meals. But even well-fed cats will happily welcome a second breakfast! They will even fight for it.

So what was with the low-grade animosity? Based on some other things I knew about her fears around following her creative passions, I wondered if she was projecting her insecurities onto me in some odd form. But I would never expect that from a fellow cat-lover.

Where are the real cat ladies at?!?!

Anyway, that little snub didn’t stop my fancy feast in my bag-swag. And so, I continued on. Thankfully, just a few days later, I had a very lively conversation with an elderly woman at the farmer’s market, and she was thrilled that I was carrying Fancy Feast!

“What flavor?” she asked.

“Chicken in Gravy” I said, pulling out the can.

She whipped out her phone and showed me a few photos of her fluffy cat, who loves to sleep with her at night.

“This is more like it!” I said, thinking back to the first reaction I got from my neighbor. I felt understood.

Now, this elderly woman did think it was absurd that I wanted to travel to Istanbul to meet all the community cats…so I guess there are levels to it, but I appreciated the boost of encouragement she gave me.

And don’t you know—just a week later, I was walking down the street when I saw a pile of black fluff curled up in his usual elevated spot on the townhouse stairs.

“Kittyyy!” I joyfully squealed, outstretching my hand for sniffs and pets. This time, I had come prepared.

I reached into my tote bag and pulled out a small bag of Wellness Kittles, sprinkling a few heart-shaped treats on the ground. I opened my mouth with pure delight as I listened to him crunch and munch his little appetizer. Then I reached deep into my bag and pulled out the can of Fancy Feast.

He sniffed the can aggressively, with piqued interest. OK, we are on the right track!

The satisfying sound of can-opening reverberated to both of our ears, as I set it down for kitty to eat to his content. The gentle sound of traffic eased off into the distance as I sat on the sidewalk and tuned into kitty licking and clapping his mouth to the delicious meal at his pawz.

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Oh, It filled my heart with such joy to watch him nourish his little bawdyy with my offeringz!!

It was as if my heart was filling, as his belly was filling.

I closely monitored his progress, making sure to empty the remaining food onto the ground when his mouth couldn’t reach the corners. I watched him eat until he finished every morsel.

Satisfied, he licked his nose and jaws and washed his paws with his long tongue.

“Oh, my baby!!” I exclaimed. He gifted me with his lingering presence, allowing me a few hesitant pets here and there, until he slowly walked off into the distance.

I gathered the can into both of my hands and walked home with a smile on my face, deeply fulfilled that I had fed my child. And the nay-sayers were wrong, as usual!!

My love prevailed.

I only hoped that my dinner offering had brightened his evening as much as it had brightened mine.

Apparently so, because the next time he saw me, he greeted me by flopping on his back and inviting me to rub his belly.

I had a can of fancy feast for him that time, too.