Petey Goes To Mongolia–Part II

April 16th, 2011

No cat food in Mongolia? How can that be?

I have seen a few dogs and processed food to feed them, but the poor cat,
woman’s best friend, has been forgotten. The famed felines seem to be dearly loved, but mainly in theory and on Hello Kitty paraphernalia.

Store after store understands what I’m searching for, that is after reenacting a desperate cat trying to shovel food into its mouth. “Meow,” I cry in my best Petey imitation. The clerk meows in return, then shrugs and nods her head, sorry to disappoint me.

The game of charades seems entertaining to most, but futile for poor Petey,
who doesn’t approve of his creative dining options. He wants Friskies, preferably beef or salmon, and he wants them now. While hot on their trail I see the sites of Ulaan Baatar.

 

sukhbaatar square (800x529)

Sukhbaatar Square

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Petey Goes to Mongolia—Part I

March 26th, 2011

I received an offer I couldn’t refuse—a trip to a distant land with a dark-headed stranger. With his sultry green eyes and laid-back manner, Petey was the perfect traveling companion until he cried in distress, his piercing voice distracting me from the in-flight magazine. Reaching beside me, I stroked his soft hair until his pleas of discomfort ceased and he once again settled into the hum of the plane.

Petey hails from the Balkans, an Albanian charmer, who loves to snuggle in front of a fire, or so I’ve been told. Licking yogurt from my fingers and sniffing chicken on my breath make him purr in delight.

When Petey’s mother, Jennifer, asked me to accompany him to their new home in Mongolia, I jumped at the opportunity, honored to be called his cat nanny, if only for a week.

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