Even when he was just a kitten, Target was already office snoopervisor. Photos: Ellen Whyte
When Target moved in 16 years ago, he immediately settled into office life. It was tax time, and so there was paper everywhere. Kitten Target sat on my desk, was helpful with chewing the total off the Tenaga bills, and managed the printer, squeaking excitedly as it spit out endless documents.
When we started video calls with clients, he rose to the challenge, contributing a useful meow or friendly tail salute.
Given his talents, Target was recognised as senior executive snoopervisor. As he grew, the desk became somewhat tight for space. Accordingly, we set up a chair for him, adding a red fluffy beach towel for comfort.
When we moved to Britain last November, we set aside a small room for the office and set about getting it ready. We painted the walls yellow because I miss cheery Malaysian sunshine. The rest of our efforts were geared towards keeping Target happy.
We brought his chair with us, and the beach towel. These fitted very nicely against the radiator. We added a cat tree, also imported from home, and set up two litter trays in a corner.
Our senior executive snoopervisor checked out the office, sat on the desk and seemed pleased but then he changed his routine.
He sleeps with me, and we go downstairs together in the morning as always. But after we read the morning news and we go upstairs, the senior cat goes back to bed.
Target spends his mornings tucked into our feather duvet. He surfaces mid-morning, pops into the office for a visit, and then moves downstairs for lunch and a nap on the sofa.
At 16, almost 17, Target is 80 years old in human terms. While I respect his decision to retire, I missed him very much. Thankfully, Tic Tac and Inkie have stepped up.
After we tuck Target into bed, the junior cats race to the office.
Tic Tac adores the cat tree, running up it to check out the birds in the garden. There's a sea gull that stares at her from the roof next door. As our princess growls and hisses, he shrugs his wings, deliberately taunting her. Tic Tac is a proud warrior princess, and thoroughly enjoys meowing insults at him.
As for Inkie, he loves to roll. In our old home, he had a nice rough spot of cement. When we moved and set up beautifully polished floors, we worried our big boy would miss his back-scratching.
So Tom sourced and cleaned up a huge rough paving stone. We set it up in the office, next to the cat tree. The moment he laid eyes on it, Inkie adored it. As he is a large cat and the paving slab is gigantic, he can roll comfortably, scratching all along his spine.
Inkie also tried out Target’s chair, and worked out how to leap from there onto my desk. The first few times, he scattered the mouse and speakers but through trial and error, he became adept very quickly. Finally, although he is a shy cat, he started to participate in video calls.
As for Target, he enjoyed the sofa downstairs, especially as we had brought along his favourite batik cushion. But with it being chilly, our old boy was cold.
Topping the sofa with the heated blanket was a win. However, we had to remove the batik cushion as it was too thick and blocked the heat. Target snuggled happily but Inkie was torn. He loves the heated blanket too but he has long had a secret passion for the batik cushion. Back in Malaysia, it was Target’s – and our junior cat respected this. However, now that it is free, Inkie has been dying to claim it. We put the cushion on the floor, and he divides his time between the warm seat and the big batik cushion.Tic Tac watched all of this with interest but she had no skin in the game (having nothing at stake and nothing to lose). She napped in various places as the mood took her, and enjoyed each day as it came.
However, when I discovered my beautiful wing chair did not agree with my back, I joined Target on the sofa. He loved it because it means constant ear rubs and a very accessible lap.
Tic Tac loved it too. She nipped in quickly and claimed my wing chair. She sits there, preening like a queen.
However, Inkie was a bit miffed because I had to step over him whenever he napped in the big batik.
Seeing him grumble and put his ears back, I had the bright idea of moving the big batik upstairs to the office chair.
Inkie is now a fat cat senior executive.
Inkie was charmed. He jumped into the chair, paddled his paws, and then sank into the soft cotton, spreading out comfortably and sighing with comfort and luxury.
Watching him, it dawned on me that times have changed. When Target retired, I thought I was left without a senior executive office snoopervisor. I missed the fact that the cats have taken care of the corporate structure.
While Tic Tac's attention is divided, Inkie provides a solid presence. He is on duty all day long, leaping on to my desk whenever he feels the need for an ear rub or a kiss.
True, he sleeps a lot. In fact, he snores. But if you think about it, that is classic senior executive behaviour.
The French say, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, meaning the more things change, the more they stay the same.
In our new home and office, we can rest assured in knowing that with Target retiring to a position of senior executive consultant, Inkie is leading comfortably as office fat cat.
Adopt Me
Guai Guai. Photo: Serene Yiwah
Guai Guai is five months old and vaccinated. She is a bit too small to be spayed, so this still needs to be done. This little lady is a bit timid but she's a lovely cat with good manners. Guai Guai also loves to cuddle!
This cutie is currently in Johor Baru. Interested adopters please contact Serene at 012-7142514.
