It’s morning. Josef the cat stretches out his slim black legs to shake off sleep and then twists and twirls and pirouettes around my feet. In my small kitchen he purrs, yowls, stretches again and reaches up with his sharp claws onto the cutlery drawer until he hears his bowl being filled with food. Josef and I share all our favourite things and our lives are even more closely entwined since his brother Ossie died. Breakfast is a time for treats; Josef with his tin of pâté style cat food (food for the more senior and sophisticated cat) and I with my Rhubarb and Sweet Cicely scented compote and toast with jam (a pretty senior kind of breakfast too, no doubt).
All is calm and gentle as we check out the weather forecast, the sunbeams spilling in through the window, the birdies on the sill. And all is fine and dandy, that is, until one of us wants to sit down, and then the fun and games begin. Josef jumps up on the only stool to clean his whiskers, just seconds before I decide to sit down to eat. I carry in another stool, which he jumps on as well. I bring in a chair and yes, you’ve guessed, he jumps on that too. Then the minute I do manage to sit down on any seat he has vacated he jumps on my knee and I can’t reach my breakfast! This loving musical chairs ritual always ends up the same way. When the music stops, I eat my breakfast standing up, whilst Josef, full of pâté, luxuriates in the warmth of the sun as he rests on the stool. And I realise that when it comes to negotiating with this special, rough, tough playboy of a cat with his magnificent whiskers and sparkling white tuxedo, that I am as soft as melting butter in his warm, pink-padded paws. Meow!
Dartmoor Flower Shed 
Animals always get the best out of us. He looks like a very sweet companion! Have a lovely day, Karen! ❤ x
Thank you Lucy, he is a sweet companion- you are so right! I hope the sun shines for you today. x
so cute, dear Karen. I wish I had a Josef, I would even give him my stool. Cats are the most wonderful animals on this planet and your story is so sweet, moving and funny. Made me laugh. Wish you lots of sunshine, dear Karen, kind regards Mitza
Hello dear Mitza, Josef is very pleased with all the love you are sending his way. I agree with you totally about cats and I would really struggle without my feline friends- for they make my house a home and bring so much comfort. All the hedgerows here are turning green and life is returning to the garden, at last. I hope that your jewellery making is going well.
Karen x
The most calming sound is the purr of a cat for me, dear Karen. I enjoyed very much having had 3 cats for many years. Give a little kiss to Josef. My jewellery making is going slowly slowly and you can see at my hands that I’m working: they are black and nails are breaking…
Have a wonderful week-end. Our weather is quite ugly right now, cold and rainy and I have to do a fair on Sunday!! Mitza x
Love your blogs..this is so evocative of life with a cat and who is in charge. M x
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Ah Melody, I see that Coco has woven a little spell on you too! Thanks so much for your lovely comment and your compliments about my blog. x
Ahw, that is too cute…and senoir breakfast?!?! More likely fit for a Dutches me thinks! have a lovely weekend! xo Johanna
I will have to start wearing a tiara to eat my breakfast now! So long as it is a 50’s style one, we will all be happy x x
What we do for our feline family! I’ve now learnt to sleep on the VERY edge of the bed. My husband worries I’m trying to avoid him but it’s so I DON’T disturb the cat…
I am laughing so much at this! I think I am going to buy a cat suit and see if everyone around me starts pandering to me every whim!
😹 Go Cat Woman… meee-oow, lol!;)
What a lovely, lovely tale (!!) of breakfast in the sunbeams. Perfect.
Handsome boy-o! We have refrigerator magnet that says, “If you want the best seat in the house, you’ll need to move the cat”! It’s so true!
Ah…so I am not alone then Kerry! That is reassuring to know 🙂
awww Karen-you are such a good writer-I felt like I was there in your kitchen! I have 3 cats but they are indoors + I could relate to this story. There names our Bugga Boo( my daughter named her), Simon( my mother’s day present from daughter working at shelter), and September (born in September-tee hee)….they all have personalities like your Josef. They sometimes try to nudge my tea out of my hands when they want to sit in my lap and cuddle! Grrr-LOL Your comment about how he is interacting with you more since Ossie passed, I understand:-) My only dog left( chance),after punk passed this winter is becoming my new garden dog. He basks in the sun where I am gardening. He romps and jumps over beds and has his own personality. He is so different than her but has his own endearing qualities.He randomly comes across the yard to give me a kiss sometimes on the face-which I don’t mind! I can’t imagine a garden without our pets:-) lovely post-I felt as if- I was playing musical chairs with your sweetheart!
He also looks like Bugga Boo-she is all black with white markings on chest:-)