Well, it had to happen…..

…..someone fussier than I am about ….’pretty much everything’.

We are house sitting for an American couple who have made their home in Montpellier with their one, inside-only cat, Mr D, who we saw for 2 minutes yesterday during our orientation meeting.

We have been ‘on duty’ here for just over five hours on ‘Day 1’ and he has only just made an appearance from under the bed. This could be pretty easy.

The one quirk we were told about Mr D is that he has to have his back tickled, or brushed while he is eating.  Odd, but okay by us. And,  that we must arrange his toys on the special blanket for him so he can play with them the way he likes. Mick wanted to know about how to protect the lounge from the cat and was told that in America it is very common for house cats to have their claws removed at the same time they are neutered. So no worries there. Thank goodness Mick did not make a comment about that as he thought the idea was quite cruel.

The female owner of the house is definitely a bit more ‘obsessive’ than me. When we arrived yesterday for the initial meeting, we had to remove our shoes and place them in a special location near the door. Now this was pretty hard for Mick because his knees are rubbish, and trying to remove his walking boots while standing, and at the same time trying to make a good first impression, was hard for him. But he did very well. I was proud of him.

As we were shown around by the pair, the husband did not say too much, but the female owner showed us where everything was stored in their two-bedroom unit. I was impressed by some of her “behaviours” and the clever use of small spaces. But, not so much Mick.

For example, the cat’s litter box is in the ‘water closet’ (her term for the toilet), and although there is a hand basin in there, she doesn’t use it because of possible germs from the cat. She uses the one in the bathroom, and we must too. The door to the water closet must be left ajar slightly so Mr D can get in and out as he needs. There is a specific robotic vacuum cleaner charging in the hallway near the toilet that we must use regularly in the toilet, i.e. after every visit to the litter box by Mr D.

There is a different hand held vacuum cleaner, on the charge near the cat’s dry biscuit distribution station,  we are to use each time Mr D has been brushed while he is feeding. The biscuit station is programmed to come on four times during the day and Mr D knows the times. And. soon we will too.  He drinks from a mug that we must keep filled for him.

I was shown the different rag I am to use to wipe the dishwasher, and another one for the kitchen bench. The new dining room table, made from reclaimed timber must be used with placemats only. Mick and I have decided we will only use it as a last resort and I have already covered it with some towels so we don’t accidentally mark it. We will use the small table on the patio which overlooks the street below.

The only other duty for us while we are here for 9 nights, is to water the plants, and I think we can manage that.

The unit is only 1.5 kilometres from the centre of the old town, or two tram stops. Last night after our introductory meeting, Mick and I walked back into town to find somewhere for dinner. I had booked us a hotel for the night, and although we had been invited to stay the night with them, we were pleased we did it this way, because they had a fold-out divan that probably wouldn’t have been too comfortable and only one water closet for the four of us and Mr D.

As we arrived in the central part of the city last night the place was alive with Friday night revellers. So we joined in. This next photo was taken from inside one of the bars we visited looking out onto the street.

Mick found a bar he could have named. It was called Beer O’Clock – something he often refers to about 5pm, especially on a Friday. We bought a card and then we selected our wine or beer and filled our glasses. €20 did not go too far.

We heard and saw lots of Aussies, which was a strange experience after being so isolated for the past 6 months. The Womens’ World Cup Soccer is on, and the day before we arrived, Australia beat Brazil 3-2 in a thrilling game that was played in Montpellier. We just missed it!!