5 years ago we moved into our first rental apartment in the city of Nanjing, China. Soon after moving in we met a stray cat that had made our apartment block her home. This beautiful black and orange cat spent her days patrolling her territory on the paths and grass outside the apartment block. She made sure no other cats could take her place, unless she was friendly with them in which case she sometimes allowed them to come closer. It can sometimes take more than 8 months for a cat to make friends with another cat, although we have seen it happen much faster.
Except for 3 months in winter when it’s cold, most of the year is very hot in Nanjing so she sleeps in the thick grass or lounges on her back lying on the pathways. If you are lucky enough to gain her trust she will roll around on her back, belly up and ready to be stroked.
She’s quite adventurous and I’ve seen her climbing over bikes, up trees and exploring the underground car park. If she comes out of the front door, she needs to wait for somebody to enter or exit the building so she can go back inside. There is another way in around the back of the apartment block but this means walking close to other cats territories and is a much longer journey. She much prefers to sit and wait for the door to be opened. In the rainy season the back entrance sometimes floods and the front door is the only way for her to get inside.
On rainy days I’ve sometimes found her sat close to the door meowing and waiting for somebody to let her into the dry hallway. There are only 5 floors in this apartment block so it can take a while for somebody to come. In this photo you can see her sat outside waiting, getting a bit wet and meowing. Once or twice I’ve forgot my key and had to wait with her as she meowed asking me why I wasn’t letting her in!
We usually walk our Corgi Teeny in the large underground car park when it rains but sometimes we need to take her out in the rain so it’s time to put on her doggy rain coat and brave the puddles. If she has chance she’ll chase the community cats a little bit. She likes to chase and act all tough but if they stand in place, backs up ready to fight back Teeny sometimes gets scared and backs off.
Most of the time the apartment cat will avoid the rain and be sat somewhere inside. Her favourite place to sit is on electric bikes either in the downstairs hallway or underground in the car park. They offer her a nice comfy padded seat and a place to hide under if she wants to avoid people for a while. E-bikes are so common in China, there are hundreds in every community and you’ll often find cats like to sit on them. Dog owners like to transport their pets around on e-bikes too and I have seen the odd cat or two travelling on an e-bike. Do you know any stray animals that sleep in unusual places? Let us know.
