The Cat with Three Names

Every evening at six, a gray cat jumped onto Ana's small third-floor balcony. He had white feet and one bent ear. Ana was twenty-four, new to the city, and living alone, and the cat made her apartment feel less quiet. She named him Pepper and bought a little blue bowl just for him.

For two weeks, Pepper came, ate his dinner, and slept on her chair while she read. Then one evening, Ana heard a voice from across the courtyard.

"Biscuit! Dinner time, Biscuit!"

Ana looked up. On the opposite balcony, a young man was holding a bowl of fish, and there was Pepper, making his way along the wall toward him with his tail held high.

The next morning, Ana ran into the young man by the mailboxes. His name was Leo, and he worked at a nearby bike shop.

"I think we're feeding the same cat," she said.

Leo laughed."That explains why he's getting so round."

They agreed on a plan: Ana would feed him on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Leo would take the remaining days. They wrote the schedule on a piece of paper and tied it to the cat's collar with a ribbon, so that the cat would "know" it too. It was a silly idea, and they both enjoyed it.

Three days later, the cat returned with a different note on his collar. Ana unfolded it carefully. The handwriting was neat and old-fashioned.

"Dear friends, thank you for loving Mr. Button. He lives with me on the first floor, but he likes to visit. Please do not feed him so much. His vet says he is too heavy. Perhaps you would like to come for tea on Sunday instead? Apartment 1B. Mrs. Halina Dobrowska."

Ana rushed to Leo's door with the note. They read it together and laughed so hard that Leo had to sit down on the stairs.

On Sunday, they brought a small cake to apartment 1B. Mrs. Dobrowska had served tea in tall glasses, and Mr. Button lay asleep on a cushion by the window, as if nothing had happened.

Now the three neighbors have tea together every Sunday. The cat still visits Ana's balcony each evening, but the blue bowl stays empty, and Ana does not mind. She has found more than a cat.