Old man baby Salem Willing

We took Salem in as a stray. We were already owned by two cats and the rule was a stern "no more cats"! But Salem, skinny and ragged, with a scar to his ear, crept in to eat anyway. He was no doubt encouraged by the fact I would secretly sneak him in through my bedroom window, where he would sleep the night on my bed, away from the wind and the rain. He was so persistent there became no way to say no, and two cat food bowls became three cat food bowls, and Salem was now a Willing.

At first, he was so incredibly timid. If someone stood up, if the doorbell rang, the phone rang - any kind of noise or movement, he would dart right across the house straight outside the cat flap. He also loved to wind Molly up, and it was after Salem joined us that she took to sleeping in the highest points she could find, like the top of the fridge and above the microwave.

As he grew older he also grew to trust us, and went from being the most timid cat I ever knew, to the most loving and needy cat. When we went to bed at night and switched all the lights off, he would let out the lonelist meow, a meow he only ever used in that situation. The moment he saw a lap - no matter if it was a complete stranger - he would jump on it and demand affection. He was so needy that despite being so long in the tooth, he became my "baby Salem". He would drool with delight at whatever lap he could get himself on, and we had a dedicated Salem blanket to protect our clothes from the drool.

He left our lives much as he entered, disappearing for increasingly long times until one day he left and never returned.

Thanks for choosing us, baby Salem xxx

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