Hummus Departs
After an exhausting few days for both of us, Hummus Rocky Glass left the building and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Brian came to pick him up on Tuesday, immediately scooping him up and holding him like a babe in arms, whilst tickling him under the chin. Hummus purred with pleasure. I stood there with my mouth hanging open - the last time I had seen them together Hummus had used Brian as a punching bag- as Brian continued to coo and fuss shamelessly over his baby. When Brian finally put Hummus down I gave him a bit of a pat which he tolerated for a second before snarling and snapping at me. Brian looked on embarrassed as the large cat stomped off. ' He only likes us I guess' he said with a mixture of pride and exasperation, 'We got him as a baby when he was a few days old, a friend found a whole litter of them and he was the runt, look at him now...' we both looked over at Hummus who bounced off my desk and landed heavily on the floor.
I blame myself entirely for Hummus not settling in, his owners had a pre booked holiday and Hummus had hurt his paw and tail and not wanting to leave him alone, they called me. I was told he hisses at strangers and hasn't left home for ages.The last time was for the vet so no happy memories there, I've had moody and hissy cats before and thought it would be fine but I underestimated how stressed out Hummus would be leaving his owners and his home. Not all cats are suitable for boarding, as cat behaviourist Anita made clear when she came round to find me frozen,terrified in an armchair on one side of the room and Hummus hissing at me from the other. Thankfully Hummus did settle after a couple of days and I was able to see a much gentler side to his character, rubbing round my leg or curling up on the sofa with me. Although my fear never quite left me and my nervousness around him meant I never fully gained his trust, looking after Hummus Rocky Glass has certainly been an experience.
