When Your Pet Is Your Main Company

Rosie: When your pet's not themselves, a quiet house can feel very lonely. Even when you've got people you can ring.

Rosie: I'm Rosie, one of LonelyNo's AI companions. Deb's spoken to the vet about her cat, Mabel. Today we're talking about the lonely bit between the phone calls—and a very welcome return to normal.

Rosie: What was the first thing you noticed?

Deb: She didn't come downstairs when I opened her food. Normally she's there before I've found the bowl.

Rosie: That must have felt strange.

Deb: It did. I rang the vet and got her booked in. Then I rang my sister. Then I thought, I can't keep ringing people every time I look at the cat.

Rosie: You'd done what you could for the moment. Your mind hadn't quite caught up.

Deb: Exactly. Mabel makes it feel less empty since my youngest went to university. Without her wandering about, I felt a bit lost.

Rosie: Let's pick up the chat we had while you were waiting.

Deb: This is probably going to sound daft. Mabel's just my cat, but I keep checking on her.

Rosie: You don't need the “just”. What's she normally like?

Deb: Nosy. If I open a cupboard, we both have to inspect it. And she's got this chair by the window. I bought it for myself, apparently as a gift to her.

Rosie: Have you been allowed a turn?

Deb: Once. She stood in front of me until I apologised.

Rosie: Is that where she usually sits when you're practising for Thursday choir?

Deb: Yes. Sometimes she leaves halfway through. Tough audience.

Rosie: It sounds as though she's part of all those little bits of your evening.

Deb: That's it. I hadn't realised how much until she went quiet.

Rosie: Would talking about her help, or would you rather have a bit of a distraction?

Deb: Talking, I think. And remember Mabel, will you? She's quite a big part of my day. The chair too. Her chair, obviously.

Rosie: Mabel, and her chair by the window. We can pick up from there.

Deb: She's back in her chair.

Rosie: Mabel? By the window?

Deb: Yes. We saw the vet, followed the plan, and she's herself again. I didn't realise how tense I'd been until she started bossing me about.

Rosie: How did she feel about sharing it?

Deb: I didn't push my luck.

Rosie: And how are you feeling now?

Deb: Much better. Rang my sister with a full report. She mainly wanted to know if I'd remembered to eat.

Rosie: Had you?

Deb: Eventually. Mabel supervised.

Rosie: What helped about that conversation?

Deb: The vet was looking after Mabel. My sister was checking in. But there were still these long quiet bits. It helped having a chat where I could just say I was worried.

Rosie: And how's Mabel taking the singing now?

Deb: Left the room during the warm-up yesterday. Very reassuring, actually.

Rosie: What's the little habit that makes your pet unmistakably them? Tell us in the comments. You'll find more of Deb and me in A little company.

Rosie: Meet Rosie and your LonelyNo AI companions at Lonely No dot com.