Chapter Sixty-Nine: A Simple Cat Teaser Wand

Zhang Congwen secretly shook his head, thinking to himself that there was far too much to criticize about the way Yu Qin interacted with this tabby cat. Yu Qin was inherently afraid of cats, but when she expressed this nervousness, it would inevitably affect the cat, making it anxious as well. Her attempt to avoid the cat’s gaze and grab it from above was understandable given her fear, but the method itself was entirely wrong.

Most creatures fear attacks from behind; cats are no exception. Grabbing a cat from above isn’t exactly from behind, but it’s still outside the cat’s field of vision—a blind spot. Combined with the cat’s existing anxiety, it was hardly surprising it lashed out at Yu Qin.

Shaking his head, Zhang Congwen said, “Your technique for catching Bird was incorrect. You should try to pick it up gently, always within its sight. And never force it when it’s already feeling defensive.”

Yu Qin wanted to explain that her fear was the reason for her actions, but Zhang Congwen didn’t give her the chance, continuing, “But the biggest issue isn’t your technique, it’s your fear. That’s what we need to address first.”

Though Zhang Congwen wasn’t particularly skilled at training cats, he had more or less figured out the problem with Yu Qin’s tabby. Because Yu Qin feared the cat, she transmitted her anxiety to it, prompting it to attack her. Over time, Yu Qin left a strong negative impression on the cat, so that even approaching it could provoke aggression.

Lin Xiaoru’s father, Lin Yi, seemed to be in a similar situation. Lin Yi wasn’t afraid of cats, but neither did he like them. Since the cat often attacked Yu Qin, Lin Yi had come to expect it might attack him as well. For this reason, he too became tense around the cat, triggering its aggression.

In this way, Lin Yi, Yu Qin, and the cat had formed a vicious cycle: the more they feared the cat, the more likely they were to be attacked. The more the cat attacked them, the more their fear grew.

“Do you have any cat toys at home?” Zhang asked.

Now that he understood the root of the issue, solving it seemed much easier.

“We do,” Lin Xiaoru replied promptly, turning to fetch a large pile of cat toys from the corner.

Zhang Congwen glanced over them and shook his head. The toys were all balls, plush figures laced with silvervine or catnip, or puzzles for cats. Not a single toy allowed for real interaction between human and cat.

After searching for a while, Zhang had no choice but to ask Yu Qin for the leash they used for walking the dog. Once he had it, he tied it to the end of a broom handle, fashioning a makeshift wand, and began waving it above the cat’s head.

At first, the tabby was wary, but after a few sweeps, its gaze was wholly captivated by the improvised toy, and it began to chase it.

Once Zhang had lured the cat onto the sofa with the broom handle toy, he handed it to Yu Qin and said, “Try to use this to lure it into the bedroom.”

Yu Qin nodded, imitating Zhang, and began to wave the makeshift wand above the cat’s head. Drawn by the leash, the tabby jumped off the sofa and chased it across the floor.

With the leash’s allure, Yu Qin easily lured the cat into the bedroom.

Zhang asked, “You’re not afraid now, are you?”

Yu Qin nodded, her face bright with a smile. “No, I’m not afraid anymore.”

She had always feared cats, but whenever she saw her daughter playing with their own, she longed to do the same—to stroke or hold it like Lin Xiaoru did. Yet the cat had never warmed to her, and she had never experienced the joy of having a cat. Most of the time, she could only watch her daughter play while she herself stayed to the side, envious.

But thanks to Zhang’s guidance, not only was she no longer afraid, she was beginning to discover the pleasure of keeping a cat.

Zhang said, “You can buy a similar wand later—a stick with a string and a feather tied to the end. Or just get a laser pointer. Whenever you want Bird to go somewhere or leave a spot, you can use these toys to lure him away.”

Yu Qin played with the makeshift wand, thoroughly enjoying herself. The cat was lively, flipping through the air several times under her teasing.

Upon hearing Zhang’s suggestion, she immediately agreed, “Alright, I’ll buy them both—the wand and the laser pointer.”

Zhang continued, “Spend some time interacting with Bird this way. Once you’re no longer afraid, and he isn’t afraid of you either, then try picking him up as I described. By then, it should be fine.”

“Okay,” Yu Qin promised, and began to tease the cat again with the improvised wand.

Zhang never expected that even after Yu Qin bought the wand and laser pointer, she never dismantled his homemade wand. Instead, she kept it as it was, and it became her favorite.

Seeing her mother happily playing with the cat, Lin Xiaoru was delighted. She had always hoped the cat would get along with her family, but had never known how to make it happen. With Zhang’s guidance, she felt deeply grateful, though a bit shy in his presence. She asked, “Big Brother Zhang, is there anything else we should improve at home?”

Zhang looked around the house and noticed that the microwave was the highest spot the cat could easily reach. After a moment’s thought, he said, “You could buy a taller cat tree for Bird to climb. Cats feel safe in high places and small spaces. Small spaces are usually abundant at home, so just a cat tree will do. With it, Bird should stop lounging on the microwave so much.”

Lin Xiaoru nodded obediently, carefully committing his advice to memory.

...

Zhang Congwen hadn’t expected that when he was about to leave Lin Xiaoru’s house, Yu Qin insisted on giving him some money, calling it a fee for his cat training.

He was embarrassed to accept it, since in his view, what he did wasn’t really cat training—just sharing some basic knowledge about keeping cats.

Yet in the end, under Yu Qin’s persistent urging, he accepted a few hundred yuan as a symbolic fee.

After leaving Yu Qin’s house, Xie Caizhe sidled up mysteriously and asked, “Big Brother Zhang, are you free during the May Day holiday?”

Without thinking, Zhang replied, “May Day’s still a ways off, how would I know if I’m free?”

Xie Caizhe was taken aback, pulled out his phone, and checked the calendar, “It’s only a week until May Day—hardly a long way off.”

Zhang was surprised as well. He hadn’t realized how quickly time had passed since he’d been out of work—over a month had slipped by in a blur.

Curious, he asked, “I should be free. What’s up?”

Xie Caizhe grinned, “Big Brother Zhang, could you help me train a cat?”