

Little Girl: “Mummy! Mummy! Look! That lady has a cat in her handbag!”

She tugged at her mum’s sleeve and said excitedly:

My cat decided it was time for some fresh air and stuck her head and front paws out of my bag, looking around, gently purring as usual. The woman was looking at her phone while the little girl was looking around. Next to me, in the second line, was a woman with a child, probably about eight or nine years old. I was waiting in line in a bookstore, my cat sleeping in my bag as usual. They were mostly positive people were curious and friendly when they saw her, and there were many funny situations when people faced a fluffy, silver cat in unexpected places, but there was one instance that stuck with me because it was so nasty. I had lots of very interesting encounters when she was with me. When I would put my bag on the floor, she’d crawl out and sit on it, hissing at everyone who’d try to come near like a perfect little watchdog, but while I carried it, she would be a perfect lady and was quite willing to meet new friends and purr at people who noticed her. I had her on a leash and most of the time she slept in my handbag, occasionally looking out and scanning the surroundings. She sometimes behaved more like a dog than a cat, and she liked to accompany me everywhere. I once had a very affectionate and clingy Persian cat.
