"I want to find her a new home"--a cat that follows its owner all the time

The cat accompanies the old man as he sweeps the streets; however he cannot bring it home when he returns to his hometown.

For the last two years, Uncle Fang, a road sweeper, has been accompanied by a cat as he cleans the streets each morning. Mimi not only accompanies the old man, but also wakes him up every morning. Now, Uncle Fang’s grandson is going to Anhui Province, their hometown, to start school, as a result, where Mimi will live has begun to trouble them.

A kitten called Mimi follows Uncle Fang as he sweeps the streets every day.

A family of five lives in a small remote yard in Yandongyuan Community of Peking University. Uncle Fang found a street sweeping job in the community, and also picks up scraps to support the family. Two years ago, his grandson brought back a black and orange kitten. From that day onward, it has been his shadow. It has been following him from dawn until he finishes cleaning the streets and gathering scraps. Mimi waits by the road until he has sold the scraps and then returns home with him.

Since the cat’s arrival, their alarm clock has become useless. At four o’clock every morning, Mimi will crouch in his doorway and scratch the screen door made of straw with her claws. The old man tied a small bell to the screen so Mimi can be heard when she is at the door. When he was scavenging, Uncle Fang found a blue bell and hung it around Mimi’s neck. Now Mimi has given birth to several kittens.

Now the old man’s grandson is about to return to their hometown to start primary school, the old couple have decided to return Anhui within the next few days. “If we leave, what about the kittens?” Uncle Fang hopes that some kind-hearted person will foster Mimi as soon as possible and give her a comfortable home.

Translated by LOTO