One of the best perks of Mike McEuen’s job is the pets he gets to meet along his routes.
While McEuen, a mail carrier in McKinleyville, California, loves them all, one special animal named Bijou stands out from the rest.
“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,” McEuen told 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.”
Four years ago, when McEuen began a new route, he first encountered Bijou.
The ancient cat, which had one milky eye and a crooked half-tail, may have appeared rough, but other postal carriers knew her as the world’s sweetest cat.
“When I first met her, I thought she was a very elderly, affectionate cat who seemed to have seen it all. Nice as can be, though a little rough around the edges, according to McEuen. “When I mentioned it to the route’s usual carrier, he said, “Yeah, that’s Bijou. She is outstanding.
McEuen only sees Bijou once a week since he covers five other routes as a replacement courier. But whenever she hears his vehicle approaching her house, the small cat always makes it a point to go out and see her pal.
“For the first few years, she would wander out to the mailbox when she heard me getting out of the truck,” McEuen said. “She is always there once I have the mail on top of the boxes.”
Bijou has never been shy and, even in the first few weeks of their friendship, she would rub against McEuen’s feet until he was done delivering.
Recently, the old cat has gotten even more bold, climbing into McEuen’s truck while he’s distracted.
“Sometime toward the end of last year, she started getting more exploratory with my truck,” McEuen explained. “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,” McEuen added. “That quickly evolved into her getting all comfy on the seat. She just hangs out until I am done with the mail.”
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