Fess the cat was always outside.

by Dave
(Sussex)

Fess would follow us to the end of the street, he would never try to cross with us or turn the corner with us if that was the way we were going. The us being my brother and myself.

That cat was always outside whenever it was not raining and as the house had no front garden to speak of, outside meant out on the pavement. Fess did not bother much with the back garden, he was not a cat for climbing up trees after the birds. He was a happy cat, that I'm sure of but not much of a one for being petted. When he was in the house he would find himself an out of the way spot and sleep, that is if he was not eating.

I was sixteen when one day arriving home I was told that Fess had been found in the gutter just along from our house. He hadn't been hit by a car or anything it was just that his time had come. I'm not sure how old he was.

Was it bad of my family to keep a cat and let it out onto the road. I don't think that anyone thought about the dangers, it was just the way that people kept cats.

If I had a cat now, I don't think I would let it roam free. I've quite a large garden, much bigger than my parents had, so I could build a run.