Resident Reflections: Manny’s Life at Brickstone

When my husband Tom and I first moved into our Brickstone bungalow with Manny, our strong-willed indoor/outdoor raised-by-a-dog tuxedo cat, we weren’t sure how it was going to go. We knew from experience that there was no keeping him inside all the time—he was an escape artist and would even claw through a screen to get outside. Would the neighbors mind him?

We needn’t have worried, because most of the neighbors seem to love him.  Amazingly, people without pets sometimes keep animal treats by their door, in case Manny or the neighborhood dogs being walked on their leashes stop by to visit.  It’s like Trick-or-Treat every day!  Manny has become like a child raised in a kibbutz. He thinks everyone loves him and all of Brickstone is his territory.

Manny’s World

Manny now believes people are more fascinating than other animals. He studies them. He has decided to become an anthropologist.  Sometimes he follows people when they’re out for a walk. At noon he will come home and ask to come in for his lunch but then won’t actually step inside if he sees any humans approaching in the distance: he must know first, who they are and what they’re about. Worst of all, he has started peeking in more windows and even going inside other houses.

His humans (Tom and I) blame this on the people who actually invited him inside their houses when he came on their porch to visit. Now he thinks he is free to walk into anyone’s house and inspect every corner!  He says he’s writing a book about humans and interior decorating, but this is not true.  One gentleman who must have left his door open was shocked to look up from his living room chair to see a big black cat walking across the room. It’s too much!

So, as grateful as we are for the kindness everyone has shown Manny, this human is asking, please, people, don’t let him inside your houses! I am afraid he will startle or trip someone, or else scratch up your carpet or favorite chair. And how do you know he doesn’t tell the whole neighborhood about what he sees in your house? Although generally good at keeping secrets, Manny does have a sarcastic catty streak at times.

Manny lives with Brickstone by St. John’s Residents Tom and Denise Thompson-Slaughter.

More from Denise: Resident Reflections: Hive Mind and the Introvert by Denise Thompson-Slaughter