“There are a few dogs on my routes that I really love seeing, and a couple that seem to know the sound of my truck’s door sliding open. If I can make it work (still gotta get done on time!) I like to at least give them a ‘hello’ and some quick love before moving on,” Mike said to The Dodo.
“However, Bijou is the only cat I have on my routes that seems to make it a point to visit every time I am there.”
Bijou and Mike met four years ago and have shared a special connection ever since.
The postal carrier just started a new route, and Bijou’s home happened to be right in the middle of one of his weekly paths. Mike has a different route every weekday and can only see her once a week, but the adorable feline always has something to look forward to.
“The first time I met her, my first impression was that she was a super old, sweet kitty that looks to have been through it all. A bit rough around the edges but nice as can be,” the mailman recalls. “I told the regular carrier on the route about it and he told me, ‘Yeah, that’s Bijou. She’s the best!’”
Just hearing the delivery truck in the street is more than enough for Bijou to know that her favorite postal carrier arrived. The cat loves to spend time with Mike, and she even hops in to go along with the delivery trips sometimes. The cat also regularly accompanies him by foot.
“For the first few years, she would wander out to the mailbox when she heard me getting out of the truck,” Mike told. “She is always there once I have the mail on top of the boxes.”
Bijou usually hops into the mail truck while Mike isn’t looking or distracted by work, but he doesn’t mind at all.
“Sometime toward the end of last year, she started getting more exploratory with my truck,” he told. “It’s only a couple feet from where I’m delivering, so when she sees I’m working and not bending down to pet her, she wanders that way.”
“After a couple months of sniffing around the door, she started climbing in and milling around on the floorboards,” Mike added. “That quickly evolved into her getting all comfy on the seat. She just hangs out until I am done with the mail.”
Spending time with Bijou is always something that Mike looks forward to and he definitely appreciates all the attention that she gives him. It also makes his working day a lot brighter.
“Most cats seem content doing their own thing and keeping to themselves,” Mike said. “I like to think Bijou looks forward to the mailmen showing up as much as we look forward to being greeted by her!”
“I like to think the animals appreciate someone stopping in and saying hello during the day when their family members are at work or school,” he added. “[It] breaks up the monotony of their day and gives them a little human interaction on what might be a kind of lonely afternoon.”
Bijou has definitely got a bit of sassy personality, but the two always manage to get along.
It turns out that trying to get her out of the truck doesn’t always go as planned – but in the end, all that Bijou wants is to cuddle with her best friend.
“I learned right away that I couldn’t just shoo her out of the truck. She would hold her ground and gently protest until I pick her up and give her a few pets and squeezes,” Mike told. “Once that is taken care of, she’s happy to head back to her house until I see her next time.”
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