Some time ago I acquired a cat. Or she acquired me.
She came through my window, crawled onto my shoulders,
head-butted me and began to purr like a broken air conditioner. She had an
obvious upper respiratory infection and one bad eye, but seemed energetic and
very sociable. Once she found the dog’s dish and began to chow down, she obdurately refused to leave.
Initially I
thought she was an outdoor kitty belonging to a neighbour, but from her
trusting nature and complete absence of interest in going anywhere near the door, I
concluded that being outdoors was not normal for her (something that was
confirmed when her former owner admitted she had been outside for only two weeks
of her life).
Still, whether the original owner (who declined to take her back) lost his cat intentionally or otherwise, her untroubled, sunny disposition suggests that he must have treated her reasonably well.