Pepsi

By Denise Killen

Pepsi was my first cat. My partner and I thought of getting a pet, but we didn’t want a cat. My aunt had several and I didn’t like them.

Then Pepsi wandered into our lives via the living room window. Sitting watching tv one evening, and my partner says, “what is that cat doing?” Eh? Pepsi had jumped in through the living room window and had wandered off down the hallway.

This was the first of many visits. She was a 6 month old kitten at the time and she and her siblings would play in the lane at the back of our houses. I would bring her home and she’d be back in mine quicker than I was. After being away for 2 weeks, and she still kept visiting, I kept her. She stayed with me and moved to my various other homes. She was 7 years old when we moved to Harrogate.

She was an excellent hunter, but she was also a very loving cat who would love to sit on your lap or snuggle up in bed. I loved having her around so much that I took in another stray for a companion for her.

She went out, did her thing and came back. She was very streetwise. But then one evening, a knock on the door. A lady asked if we had a cat with a pink collar. My heart was in my mouth – Pepsi had a pink collar. The lady was driving along the road when a cat run out in front of her. But it wasn’t Pepsi. She had dodged the cat, but then Pepsi ran into the road chasing after this first cat. The lady didn’t see Pepsi and hit her.

She parked up and looked for Pepsi and when she found her, took her straight to the pets hospital. Unfortunately Pepsi didn’t survive her injuries. But that lady came back to the street and knocked on every door until she found us.

I was devastated. Angry as well as upset. It was a long time ago now, and while I’ve obviously never forgotten my first cat, I’ve also never forgotten that lady and the honourable thing that she did.

Just because cats don’t have the same rights as dogs on the road, if you hit a cat, you’re hitting someone’s much loved pet. The least you can do is get them to a vet. When I had Pepsi, the internet was only just being invented, but today a quick post on your local Facebook page will find the owner.