Goodnight sweetheart

First posted April 2008 - no sooner had I blogged about Kitty then this happened

I never intended getting a replacement cat after Tiddles died; Matilda was perfectly content to be a single cat.  But constant nagging from the boys and a trip to a pet shop in North Shields put an end to that.

A little black scrap of a thing (with white toes, bib and whiskers) climbed out of the manageress’ arms onto mine, looked deep into my heart with her navy-blue boot-button eyes and I was lost.  We called her Kitty and she loved us.  If anyone was in the house she was always in the same room, preferably within a few feet, purring like a motorbike.  She perfected climbing up onto Fester’s shoulders (shirt or no shirt) to bully him into giving her cheese slices.  She gave affection generously but on her own terms; grabbing onto your hand to lick it, and holding fingers and knuckles in her mouth.  It only hurt if you tried to pull away.

I let her out on Wednesday evening and she never came home.  Our neighbour at No 1 came over on Thursday morning to ask if she was missing, because she’d seen a little black and white body on the pavement coming home from a concert the night before.

Envirocall have been very kind, but haven’t picked up a body (if they do they keep them so bereaved owners can retrieve and bury their pets if they wish).  But of course someone or something else might have done.  I’ve been to the Cat & Dog Shelter, but more in vain hope than expectation.  If she were alive she’d have come home.

Everyone at Tyne Bridge practice last night was very kind.  There seems to be a high proportion of cat owners/lovers in our team.  Mrs Recorder admitted that she’d been so upset when her cat went “we will never go through that again.”  The Squire advised me to “Get it over with” and have a damn good cry.  Deputy Squire, not renown for sloppiness, rubbed my arm saying “Oh poor you”.  And when I said I felt too low to go to the pub Mrs Drummerman gave me a hug. 

And that’s what a team should be about – looking after each other.  Yes there are times when we disagree, squabble and have personality clashes – we’re human beings after all.  But in many ways we are family.  And the metaphor can be extended to the rest of the morris community - it’s our village.  At the end of the day we will look out for each other.

Kitty was an excellent little cat and my boys and I are missing her badly.