My cat Nugget has been secretly feeding a stray through the gap under our fence for what my roommate estimates is at least four months, and we only found out because our food bill for cat treats had nearly tripled.
"He's not eating more," my roommate said, staring at the receipt. "We'd notice if he ate more. Look at him, he's the same size."
I caught them in the act on a Tuesday, home early, watching through the kitchen window as Nugget carried a single treat in his mouth to the exact same spot in the fence, dropped it through the gap, and sat there like a tiny concierge waiting for a tip.
A scruffy grey cat appeared on the other side within seconds, ate it in one bite, and left without acknowledging Nugget at all.
"That's so rude," I said, genuinely offended on my cat's behalf. "He's running a whole delivery service and that cat doesn't even say thanks."
I mentioned it to my neighbor, who lit up immediately. "Oh, that's Church," she said. "He showed up after my divorce, my ex used to feed him, guess he never really left the block. I've been wondering why he stopped begging at my door as much."
Turns out Nugget had unionized the neighborhood cat welfare system without consulting a single human involved.
We started leaving extra treats out on purpose after that, cutting out the middleman, though Nugget still insists on doing the delivery run himself every evening, treat in mouth, entirely unnecessary, deeply committed to the bit.
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