The Orange Cat

I've often wondered about the benches that architects sprinkle around their buildings. The ones that no one ever sits on. Often found around public buildings, again always unoccupied. Is there some quota that cities demand?

Out for a walk yesterday evening, I'm sort of at loose ends these days trying to acclimatize and figured a walk might do me good. Along our local railroad right of way become bike path, there are scattered benches, most with memorial plaques. Bike traffic was pretty heavy, and lots of walkers and joggers too. I was feeling a bit footsore so figured with my current freedom I could risk the antisocial stigma of sitting on a bench. As I sat down, I noticed a large orange cat was laying on the other end of the bench.

Another vagrant, perhaps. After a few moments the cat came over and looked at me. I'm not much of a cat person, but I could tell that he wanted a good scratch between the ears and was happy to oblige. We communed for a few moments, when I stopped petting, he snuggled up to my arm. I noticed an empty cat food can discarded in the bushes, is that the equivalent of beer cans around a homeless encampment? I would like to hear that animal's story. Living on donated food along the trail, free to himself, or someone's house cat out for a stroll when his humans have gone about their business? I'll have to go by there again and check, at least one bench got sat on anyway.