Sumo, the neighbours' super-sized megakitty

There are three cats that we know of living in our apartment block.

Susan (we dont know her real name) lives next door to us on the back of the block, and we have seen her a couple times sat on their window sill.

Catkin (aka Caramel) lives a couple of doors away and is a fine, sleek, handsome cat, hungry for cuddles.

Sumo (real name not supplied) lives in the same flat as Susan, and he is a super-sized megakitty. We've wondered if he has health issues - a tumour? some glandular problem? - as he has a huge tummy as well as being generally a rather large cat. But apart from one thing, he never seems to be in pain, he catches lizards - at least now, in the cooler times, when the lizards are more sluggish - and we see him sometimes charging round the garden, full steam ahead.

He comes to visit first thing in the morning. He can get in through the kitchen window, but in the morning I am usually sat there so I try to discourage that by opening the shutters and the patio door. He then slinks in and patrols the flat before rubbing himself against the legs of my chair, of the table, against my legs a little, and purring up at me. He longs to be stroked. He lies down and shows his extensive tummy, looking up with that "rub me, rub me hard" look.

Never! Both Catrin and Pat have fallen into that trap and he has turned on them both. Maybe that abdomen is painful?

So he gets brief conversation, he gets access, he gets to look round, he gets to lounge about, he gets to purr, mew and squeak, he gets to prowl, but that's all.

Of course, we never feed him. Oh, no sir! Not nothing! Anyway he is evidently not going short of food!

But we know that he'll usually visit us some time before seven a.m. and then call back periodically until we refuse to open the door for him after eight p.m. I guess he doesn't sleep at home?

His owners live back to back with us and they generally enter and leave the flats by the vehicular access. That means I've only seen them about three times and we've only spoken once. It isn't even easy to know if they're home.

But one day we need to talk about Sumo.

If only to find out his real name.




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