big bad boris

This fine figure of feline fabulousness is Boris.

I've had him for nearly 11 years (give or take a few months).

Boris is the great symbol of change in my life. When I split up with my ex boyfriend all those moons ago I decided I needed a cat, like all good single girls. Also - the ex didn't allow me to have a cat (not the reason he became an ex!) and so it happened that someone at work knew someone who was getting rid of a cat and needed to get rid of it fast.

I went to have a look at him and I knew there was no way I could have left him behind. If I hadn't taken him, I'm pretty sure the desperado girl would have left him in the flat for the landlord to find a couple of days later. Shudder.

And just as suddenly as Boris was a great symbol of change in my life, he became a constant. Wherever I went, Boris did too. We were a twin pack. He wasn't sure of Bry in the early days and made his point very clear by sitting in between us both and eyeing Bry shiftily. Soon though, he came round to my way of thinking and our twin pack became a triple and the three of us lived in perfectly harmony.

Boris is one of those cats that even people who hate cats feel a bit of positivity towards. He's funny. He's really cute, he pets you as you pet him and he drinks tea out of mugs like that white cat Arthur, with his paws. He loves a bit of curry and is always up for a cuddle and a lick. He makes a crazy sound when you sneeze (I like to think of it as a cat 'bless you') and will never make it when you fake a sneeze to show people. When you are crying he always, always comes right up to your face to express his concern (okay, most probably to lick the salt from your tears, but it's STILL awfy nice).

All in all, he's a pretty special cat. And once again - has become a great symbol of change in my life. Full circle. Just as my life is changing shape so our three becomes four, things change and Boris is at the centre of it.

Boris is not long for this world. We found out yesterday that he has intestinal cancer and whilst it is early days, it can't be cured. The vet has advised us that at the moment his life isn't too bad - we're going to give him some steroids to take a bit of the inflamation in his tummy down and see how we get on. We have anywhere between 2 and 6 months with him.

Obviously, at the first sniff of a compromised life we will do the decent thing. In the meantime - we are going to enjoy this magic pet for as long as we possibly can.

Expect a few cat shaped blips...

P.s - that's my bump he's lying on. He loves it.