Household Pets Roatán Style
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
22 December 2000
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

I want to relate to you a true occurrence that has to do with the subject of household pets. I use the term household although for the most part, "pets" on Roatan` are not often a part of any islander’s household.

A local lady we know comes over to help with our household chores every week and the first time she came to our house she was amazed at our cats, how healthy they seemed and their size. She inquired of my wife as to where in the U.S. they had come from. She was shocked when Gloria gave her the answer. "They are all island cats, born and raised right here on Roatan. The only time they ever left the island is to go to the vet’s over in La Ceiba for neutering."

"I can't believe these cats are from the island. I have never seen any island cats that look like this."

Life went on and one day while Gloria was waiting for our lunch to be packed up for our office noontime break, she noticed two little cats romping in the yard. The little ‘cafeteria’ we frequent, is owned and operated by the same lady who had come to help at the house. She has a little neighborhood restaurant just up the road from our office, and she is an outstanding cook, so we often buy our mid-day meals there.

"I see you have little kittens," Gloria remarked. To which the lady replied,

"They are not kittens anymore, must be full grown by now."

"Really?" was my wife’s reply. "They seem small for full grown cats. What kind of food do they eat?" There was no response. The woman had a puzzled look on her face, almost anguished.

"Gosh, I don't know what they eat. Just whatever they find, out in the bush, I guess. "

Visitors are often shocked at the dissipated dogs and cats they see along the byways of our island. They look undernourished and un-cared for, because that is exactly what they are.

Some people actually do take care of their animals but for the most part the little creatures we call pets are left to fend for themselves. Whatever they can manage on their own is the only semblance of attention or sustenance they get, and certainly they are not allowed inside any house.

The contrast between our cats and the regular island cats is astounding. I will quote a visitor to my home after she had dined with us and our feline entourage one evening not too long ago." In my next life I want to come back as one of your cats," she remarked. "They have the life!"

I had never lived with a cat in my life. In fact, I was sure I was allergic to cats and I didn’t think too much of cats in general. No real reason, but somehow that idea had always been in my head. But one night a little fuzzball won us over while we dined at a local restaurant and that was the beginnings of a new era for me.

This little kitten came over to our table and began to beg for handouts, quite accomplished at the fine art, I might add. He immediately convinced my wife that he was close to starvation, which was likely true, and when he quickly devoured the offered green beans, I was converted to a believer. He won Gloria’s heart instantly with his clever antics, patting her on the leg for more after each morsel was eaten.

He had been tossed off the second floor balcony several times throughout the day by the management of the restaurant and it did not take too much convincing from the chef/owner for my wife to decide to bring the little tyke home. He would be further abused if he were left behind, she was told. "Take that blighter outta here. It has been pestering my customers all day long. If you don’t take it with you, I’m going to pitch it over the railing again and again ‘til it stops coming back. What a pest!" Needless to say, we had acquired a kitten that evening and that is only the beginning of this story.

His name is Felix. He is slate gray with phantom tiger stripes, almost invisible until viewed closely. A very clever and intelligent character, not very catlike and certainly far beyond the intelligence level of any household pet I have ever encountered. Why is it that animals always select the persons who do not like pets and then give those very people their undivided and unwanted attention? This crafty rascal sure won me over in very short order.

I began our (cat/man) relationship as somewhat indifferent to Felix, but he decided that I was going to be his person. Wherever I am, Felix is very close by. He is my continual companion. He adores his mistress Gloria, constantly nagging her to play hide and seek or "Karate Kat."

That is a game that Felix invented himself, when he was rather new to our (his) house. It began unexpectedly one day when my wife received a flying ball of fur to the hip as she was tidying the house. It came out of nowhere and disappeared in a flash. Felix was doing karate kicks, (friendly and soft) on the hip of his mistress and then running off to hide. He would then reappear out of nowhere and do it again from an unexpected direction. My wife was so amazed that she induced a performance that I recorded on film. It is a hilarious show. We have no idea where he got the idea, unless he was watching episodes of "Pink Panther" and copied inspector Clouseou’s houseboy.

So many other unusual things happened, all as a result of our new house guest, that I decided to write a little story about ‘Felix and Friends’ for our grandchildren. During the middle of my effort, we were visited by Hurricane Mitch and the story escalated into a book. (Felix, Prince of Cats and Mitch, the Great Storm of the Century) CLICK HERE FOR FREE PREVIEW.

There are several other characters in the true story of how we managed to invite one cat into our lives and now have a few others, all students of headmaster Felix.

We love them, every one dearly, as if they are our children. Each a distinctive personality, all loving and attentive to their ‘parents.’ They each respond to their own name, and it is not unusual for me to summon them to join us for our evening walk. As I call the name, each one joins the group in his turn, and then we stroll the jungle path that parallels the sea. Our troop of clowns performs their favorite tricks, jumping over each other, climbing trees and rocks, showing off, and playing jokes on their mistress. They love to walk with us. The evening strolls are the highlight of their day.

Christmas will be a special time for us and them. We will dress them each in a big red bow for the occasion, and they will receive special treats, including raw fish the most mesmerizing tidbit of all. I can get them to do just about anything by offering raw fish as a reward.

We and our wonderful feline companions, wish all of you the most wonderful of Holidays. From our house on Roatan to your house wherever you are.

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Merry Christmas!

from: Pierre, Gloria, Felix, Buddy, Sammy, Tigg, Bitsy, Patch, and Cassidy

elouis@globalnet.hn

By Pierre Renaldo, Mountain Coastal S.A,. General Contractors, Construction Management and Construction Consultants.