A year ago I shared the sad news that we had said goodbye to our beloved cat. Norbert had reached the grand old age of 20, and some of you will remember him from my Pilates studio at home. He used to come along to say hello and sniff all the cars, especially of those who had their own pets.
He was healthy and active right up until the end, and died peacefully on a patch of lawn in the sunshine with us gathered around him. It was the best possible end, and Norbert had had a long and happy life at 20 years old. Nevertheless, while we knew we would want to get another cat at some point, we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to do so immediately.
But a couple of months ago we decided it was time. We missed the warm presence of Norbert sitting on our laps on the sofa, and the loud sound of his purring as he slept. So we put some feelers out and got ourselves a new kitten, who after a rather complicated naming process has been christened Freddie.
I can’t say that Freddie is what we were looking for. There is no sedate presence on the sofa, nor stretched out on the floor for hours on end, as Norbert used to be. Purring noises do not continue throughout the day, as they would when Norbert spent almost all of his time asleep.
Instead, there is a streak of grey zooming through the house and across the garden. There are cups knocked over, cakes gone missing, and whisker-prints in the butter. Freddie can often be found balancing on the garden fence, raising everyone’s blood pressure as he contemplates the perilous drop on one side. Panicked squawking tells us he has managed to breach the gate towards the chicken coop (he enjoys terrorising them but thankfully neither party has so far been harmed).
We have all learned that standing or sitting still for more than five minutes is an instant declaration of war, for which our wrists and ankles will pay. We have also learned to worry when Freddie appears from within the house licking his chops, and not to worry when he disappears for hours on end, and comes home slightly dishevelled and smelling of tree resin.
Freddie’s boundless energy and mischief is a very different presence to that of Norbert, and we suspect it is not solely down to him being a kitten, as none of us remember Norbert causing quite this much trouble. Needless to say, he is universally adored. Getting a new kitten was the best possible decision, and Freddie has managed to firmly capture our hearts with his ridiculous antics.