Cat Louis, or as I understand from Merle Achten – Funding Adviser at FASoS – King Louis, has been part of the Achten household for 8 years now. Or better yet, Merle, her husband and two kids have been part of King Louis’s household for 8 years now.
“This is Louis’s world, we’re just allowed to live in it.”
Growing up, Louis had a little brother, who unfortunately died in a car accident. “When Louis’s brother died, Louis was inconsolable at first, but after a while he really started to blossom and became King of our household. He owns the house, we’re simply his staff members who fulfill his desires such as feeding and petting. But be careful when doing the latter, because Louis suffers from intense mood swings. And he demands to be petted when it suits you least, for example when you are getting dressed or in a work meeting.”
Thanks to the being at home so often due to the pandemic, Merle got to know Louis better. “Usually I didn’t really know what Louis was up to during the day. Now I know that he chooses a different bed to lie on every day, preferable a bed with two duvets, because ‘one duvet is no duvet’. He also loves to lie on the windowsill, but only with a towel underneath him. So he’ll mew in your face until you get up and put the towel underneath him. It is just hard finding good staff.”
During the day, Louis sleeps, but at night, he gets active. “Louis is an outdoor cat whose territory must be protected at all cost. His nemesis is this black cat. Whenever Louis spots this cat, he runs outside and puts up a fight. It’s pretty hilarious to see because it will be pouring outside but Louis just keeps sitting in the backyard, pondering whether his nemesis will return, all soaking wet.”
“Even though Louis can be a handful at times, we love him and we wouldn’t want to miss his sparkling personality.”
Got a funny pet or a story to share? Reach out to Eva Durlinger via e.durlinger@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
