This week’s topic is about rewarding ourselves after a year of teaching.

While thinking about that, I realised I might want to reward someone else instead — my rescue cat, Short.

When we arrived at the farm in Ehime (see my first four columns), there were already two cats living there.

They were not kittens, but probably still under a year old. Perhaps they were brother and sister. At first, they kept their distance (stayed far away) and watched us from the edges of the farm. However, they clearly understood farm life and people. Their favourite place was the boiler next to the bulk milk container. From there, they would sit and beg (ask repeatedly) for milk.

If we turned our backs on (stopped paying attention to) them, they sometimes tried to steal the milk filter from the rubbish bins. One cat had a much longer tail than the other, so we started calling them Long and Short.

One day, Long disappeared.

We never found out what happened. What we did see was Short’s reaction. He walked around the farm, meowing constantly and searching the places where they used to sit together. He seemed very upset. That was when we decided to start feeding him.

At first, the food was simple. We gave him bonito flakes, milk, and sometimes leftovers from bento boxes. Later, we bought proper cat food and left a bowl near the entrance to the milking parlour. Short did not trust us. He hissed and tried to scratch us as we put the bowl down. Trust did not come quickly.

Slowly, his behaviour changed. Instead of waiting at the parlour, he began to come to the farmhouse. After some time, he allowed us to get closer. One day, very carefully, he started to play with us. That was an important moment.

When we decided to leave the farm, we worried about Short. We were not sure anyone else would feed him. By then, he relied on (depended on) us, so we decided to take him with us.

We kept him inside the house and took him to the vet. He was checked and treated for fleas and parasites. A week later, we left the farm. The drive from Ehime to Shiga is long, but Short behaved very well during the journey.

In our new house, we kept him in our bedroom for a couple of weeks. Everything was new: the smells, the sounds, and the daily routine (usual way things are done). At first, he was cautious (careful and slow to trust), but slowly he began to relax. Little by little, the house became familiar. It took time, but Short settled in(became comfortable in a new place).

Now, Short follows me around.

If I sit on the bed preparing for lessons, he comes and sits at the end of the bed. When I work and teach downstairs, he sits on the sofa. When my wife comes home, he wants to play and makes this very clear. After that, he usually settles (becomes comfortable) under the kotatsu with us.

These small actions are important. Short now rolls over and shows his belly. Sometimes he leaves food in his bowl and comes back to it later. People say these are signs of trust and contentment (a calm feeling of safety and happiness). Whether or not that is true, we know that he feels safe.

Living with a rescue cat (a cat saved from a difficult situation) is not only about affection. It is about patience, responsibility, and learning to adjust. Short came with (moved together with) us from Ehime to Shiga, and in doing so, he became part of our new life.

These days, we don't just fit Short in—our day revolves around him. Our morning begins at 6 am, when he wakes us, demanding playtime before breakfast downstairs. While I teach, he'll sleep contentedly on the electric blanket on the sofa. When my wife returns, he demands a high-speed game of chase around the house. He then settles under the kotatsu with her while I teach evening classes. Later, after a final burst of play, he sleeps at the foot of our bed.

We are even looking into (investigating or considering) buying him a cat tree. 

That is my small way of rewarding Short — for being a good cat, for keeping me company while I teach at home.

Tense Focus: Tracking the Story

This story uses three main time frames to tell the full journey:

Past Simple – Completed Events

Present Simple – Current Routine and Habits

This shift in tense mirrors the story itself: from what happened, to what was changing, to how life is now.

Vocabulary and Phrasal Verb Summary

Key Vocabulary

• rescue cat: A cat that has been saved from a difficult situation.

• beg: To ask for something repeatedly.

• routine: The usual way things are done each day.

• cautious: Careful and slow to trust.

• contentment: A calm feeling of safety and happiness.

Phrasal Verbs in the Text

• keep one’s distance: Example: At first, they kept their distance. (To stay far away from people.)

• turn one’s back on: Example: If we turned our backs on them, they tried to steal food. (To stop paying attention to something.)

• rely on (someone): Example: By then, he relied on us. (To depend on someone.)

• settle in / settle: Example: It took time, but Short settled in. (To become comfortable in a new place.)

• come with (someone): Example: Short came with us from Ehime to Shiga. (To move together with someone.)

• look into (something): Example: We are even looking into buying him a cat tree. (To investigate or consider something.)