Midnight was finally out of the hallway.
After multiple attempts, making it to the laundry and the end of the hallway, he had repeatedly given up and scurried back to the bedroom.
This place was unfamiliar and a giant beast was lurking somewhere, the likes of which he’d never seen.
Wearing his heart on his paws, he crept out, making it to the living room with no sign of the creature.
He dared to continue his journey past the kitchen.
He poked his head around the corner, glaring into a new room.
He caught a glimpse of his owner, Bella Md Saidi, sitting on the couch with her boyfriend, watching an episode of Suits.
And below them, a giant mountain of dog lay.
“My partner has a dog named Dodger,” Bella said.
“And Dodger is very old and blind. He’s got like tunnel vision and doesn’t see around him.
“Whenever Midnight would sniff around the kitchen, Dodger wouldn’t see, and Midnight would just roam around.
“My partner and I were watching TV, Dodger was with us, and Midnight came in and Dodger started freaking out.
“It didn’t go well.”
Dodger began to roar and Midnight scurried back to the bedroom.
Dodger, alarmed by the mysterious presence of this tiny dark intruder, rewound the clock.
He got up on his old legs and sprinted around the house, looking for the kitten.
Bella’s boyfriend got the idea to let Dodger see Midnight up close.
He foolishly believed that if Dodger could see Midnight, particularly if Bella held the cat, he would realise he wasn’t a threat and calm down.
Like I said, foolish.
“I said I didn’t want to do that because Midnight would kill me,” Bella said.
“I did, and then Dodger sniffed at him, which freaked out Midnight and he almost killed me.
“He scratched at me and hissed at Dodger, and at that point, I decided it was probably time to go home.”
The couple had hoped Dodger and Midnight could be partners in crime.
Unfortunately, it ended up more like Tom and Jerry than Bonnie and Clyde.
While Midnight won’t be visiting Dodger’s crib anytime soon, he’s settled in well at his new home.
Bella welcomed the cat into her home via a friend of a friend of a friend.
Midnight’s first owners had to move to Melbourne and were forced to leave Midnight behind.
The family’s daughter, in particular, struggled with the farewell and needed reassurance that five-month-old Midnight would be going to a loving home.
So they called in an expert.
“I’ve grown up with cats all my life,” Bella said.
“My mum kept saying, okay, we’re not getting any more.
“But that was a lie; one time we were living with like 14 cats.”
Since Bella moved out of the family home, Midnight is the first cat she has actually owned and been responsible for.
Bella said he was a shy cat initially, but it didn’t take him long to warm to his new owner and feel comfortable biting and scratching her.
“He gets zoomies every time after his meals,” she said.
“Before I feed him when I’m preparing his meal, he bites my legs like saying hurry up bro, I’m hungry.
“He’s a very cuddly sleeper, but in the morning he sits on me and licks my face to tell me to hurry up and get his meal right now.”
A month later, the pair are getting on famously.
“I live alone, so when I’m out, it’s so nice to know someone is waiting for me at home,” she said.
“Even if it’s just because he’s waiting for his food, I have a friend to keep me company.”
According to Bella, every cat she has owned has either been a stray or handed down from a friend.
She has never had a negative encounter with what others might label as ‘wild’ cats, and she advocates for potential pet owners to explore animal shelters before purchasing a furry companion.
“Please adopt cats,” Bella said.
“There’s a lot of animals at the shelter who want a new home and don’t want to spend their lives in the pound or on the street.”