The Cat Diary: Missy and Grisou

I started writing the Cat Diary two years ago, when our beautiful young black cat Hercule was hit by a car and killed. At first it was a way to try and contain the grief and utter desolation I felt at his loss. Since then it has grown and grown and the whole Diary is now over 40 pages long, even though each individual entry is only a paragraph or two. 

In May we finally added a new kitten to our home and family. This seemed a good point to start a new Diary.

Missy and Hercule were littermates. Hercule was always the bold one, while Missy, who is a beautiful long-hair three-color cat, has always been very timid. She runs away from most people and most other things too. Her few encounters with other cats have always been seriously unfriendly. So we were pretty worried about how introducing her to a new cat would work out - which is why it has taken us two years to get round to it.

(For UK and European readers, dates are in US format: month/day).

[5/23]

A whole new chapter in the Cat Diary. Two days ago Grisou arrived, a tiny gray kitten just eight weeks old. Yes, we finally made the leap. He was in the window of a local vet, along with his brothers, sisters and mama-cat. We’ve been looking for a single male kitten, as young as possible, that we hope Missy will adopt as her own. For now they are kept well apart, Grisou living in the guest bathroom along with his food, way-too-big cat bed, litter tray, toys and all the rest. He just had his first real excursion, an hour exploring my office/workshop which is absolutely full of fascinating stuff, like the Apple sticker that slithers across the carpet when he jumps onto it.

Missy has seen him, standing watching with 100% concentration but (to our relief) not hissing, growling or running away. She seems pretty much her normal self, maybe even a bit more affectionate. She still sleeps in our bedroom or (last night) on the chair in front of my computer. Grisou loves playing with Isabelle’s phone so much, she thinks he’s a kitten geek - maybe Missy is jealous and trying to catch up.