There is an old joke How does an elephant get down from a tree? Sits on a leaf and waits until the Fall One day as a kitten, Purrdy had charged up the buddleia after the sparrows – who were long gone by the time she reached them. She looked
Articles by Richard
Silken fur, soft and warm, slips smooth beneath my fingers
Long-gone now, but down the years, this memory always lingers
Whiskers on my cheek, wake me, startled, from my sleep
So many, many cherished moments, this one I will keep.
Ping-pong balls, fish on strings, and a battered catnip mouse
Baby assassins honing skills spread laughter through my house
Feathers and leaves, mice and birds, a rat, maybe a rabbit
Trophy collection growing, until age and sloth erode the habit.
Sun shines though uncounted pinpricks, riddling my lounge curtain
Where tiny paws, with tiny claws, learnt to climb, so uncertain
My favourite armchair, past its best, tattered and torn because
Mighty hunters prowl these halls, and find no trees to sharpen claws.
On winter’s nights ferocious killer forgoes these ruthless ways
Curls up, kneading my poor knee, and there, contented plays
A plaintive cry beside my bed, seeks shelter from the storm
Then cold wet fur, and ecstatic purr, curl up on someone warm.
They gambol happily through my life, creatures of the wild, untamed
and in their careless, carefree wake, casual chaos reigns
But when, too soon, their span is done, each one as they depart
Carves tiny scars upon my soul, and pawprints on my heart.
So sorry to hear about Purrdy. Even when you know you are making the right decision it is very, very difficult.
Kathryn
It’s a Cats Life
We got Purrdy as a rescue from a local cat sanctuary as a kitten, and life was never the same again! She had been abandoned several times before she arrived with us, and she had issues trusting people. It was most definitely a case of we may occupy the same
Climb Every Tree
Purrdy considered every and any tree a personal challenge. This meant that regardless of the difficulty, or sensibility, of climbing them, Purrdy attacked all trees with reckless enthusiasm. She went up the cherry tree as a kitten, only to realise that she had no idea of how to get down
Shower Cat
Shower cat was a cat we never knew we had, but Purrdy was friends with shower cat. We had recently installed a walk-in shower, and Purrdy one morning walks into the bathroom, looks suspiciously at her reflection in the door, finally walks up to it, miowed at it, bumped noses
grandaddy-will-be-mad
Purrdy had a love-don’t love relationship with Nugget, a local cat that lived a few doors away. They would regularly chase each other, play together, and even snooze in the sun together. During the winter, our pond had frozen over, and they had had a few experiences skating around on
Purrdy vs The Bedroom
A little kitten has no concept of ‘day-time’ and ‘night-time’, and in particular when is time to play and when is time to sleep. Facing the prospect of endless sleepless nights as a little bundle of energy and fun demanded we play at all hours of the night as well
Purrdy Comes Home
Having moved into our own home, we wanted to adopt a cat, so we went to Haworth Cat Rescue. We looked at all the cats in the pens, but none really spoke to us both, then the owners said we got a new arrival, we are not sure if she