Cats don’t live by the rules, and spend most of their time just doing what they want. Free-spirited felines who like to spend time outdoors are often gone hours at a time, leaving their owners wondering where they’ve been or what they’ve been up to. For cat owner Zack King, his cat Billy’s whereabouts were always a mystery. King assumed Billy was doing normal cat things, like chasing mice and exploring. However, he soon discovered his beloved kitty was living a double life.
Billy comes and goes as he pleases through a cat flap. He occasionally comes in to say hello, to eat, or to have a nap before going off to play again. One day in October, when Billy was inside, King’s girlfriend Olga noticed a folded piece of paper covered in plastic wrap attached to his collar. She and King carefully unwrapped it and were pleasantly surprised to find a note from one of their neighbors. “Your cat likes to come visit us when he is outside,” it read. “He will sit at the door and meow to be let in. It’s actually hilarious and we love him! We have no idea where he’s coming from. What’s his name? We call him Billy. From your friendly neighbors!”
Olga and King wrote a note back, attached it to Billy’s collar, and hoped it would make it to the original sender. “We’re so glad he’s making friends with the neighbors,” it read. “And his name is Billy! So you guessed right. Give him lots of chin scratches!” It wasn’t long before Billy came back with another note, and now months later, the neighbors are still pen pals. “We've shared TV and Netflix recommendations, podcast suggestions, and home cooking ideas,” King reveals. “We have no idea who or where the neighbor is. We could ask for details but [there’s] no need—it's nice to have some mystery sometimes.”
At the beginning of January, the anonymous neighbor got Billy a “proper mailbag”—a plastic heart container that attaches to his collar with elastic bands. Billy is still busy with postcat duties, but the sweet exchanges have become less frequent, now that the weather is colder and Billy is spending more time indoors. Nevertheless, the unexpected friendship came at a time when King and Olga needed it the most. “We were in a bit of a slump as the nights got colder and darker and restrictions and lockdowns kept us at home, so it was a real joy,” he says. “To be honest, Billy's a joy anyway. But this was something unexpected, intriguing, and very welcome indeed!”
Check out some of the notes below, delivered by Billy the postcat.
Meet Billy, the adventurous cat who's been living a double life.
He's been visiting his neighbors, who attached a note to his collar.
Billy's owners sent one back, and now the two neighbors are penpals.
Billy has been going back and forth, unknowingly delivering the notes.
The friendly neighbors are even sharing recipes and Netflix recommendations.
Billy recently got a proper “mailbag.”
He's been a busy postcat!
Zack King: Twitter
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Zack King.
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