'The cat has changed my life': how Bootsy turned a street of strangers into a community

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jul/07/the-cat-has-changed-my-life-how-bootsy-turned-a-street-of-strangers-into-a-community

‘The cat has changed my life’: how Bootsy turned a street of strangers into a community

When Mike Hohnen moved into a new suburb he was looking for solitude. His tabby had other ideas

By Mike Hohnen
Sat 6 Jul 2024 16.00 EDT

Everything changed with a voicemail. I was used to my cat getting into trouble. Bootsy always had a tough time respecting other people’s boundaries. When a concerned neighbour called the number on his collar I assumed the worst; that he had snuck in and eaten their roast dinner or some such.

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I ventured to the caller’s house nearby. It was a fortress. The large steel sheets over the windows that blocked out the world were a jarring contrast to the gentle woman who opened the door. This was my first time meeting Enid Morrison. “I was so helpful, wasn’t I?” she recalls.

This would be the start of a friendship that helped transform a street in Sydney’s inner west into a community. This is the cat who has created a sense of home that expands well beyond a house. “I think it’s quite an honour, really, to be accepted like this,” Enid says.

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And what does Enid think Bootsy would make of all the fuss around him? “I’m only a human,” she says, “I can’t grasp the universe in his head.”

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