My favoritest cat in the whole world is growing old. Her once impossibly glossy fur is all but gone, and what’s left looks… well, burnt. She’s preoccupied and resigned and her beautiful almond-shaped jade green eyes don’t open as wide any more.

Kali is my cat by proxy. I persuaded my friend Prasanto to make friends with her – on my behalf – about ten years ago. But the one Kali totally adores is Prasanto. She would gaze up at him and understand exactly what he was telling her and would trust him and him alone with She’s an “outside” cat, but one night, Prasanto woke up at around 3 am and as he moved in his bed, he heard a polite meow. Kali was on the floor, just hanging out near him. She’d found her way in through a window somewhere in the house. They later boarded the window up and many nights he would see a black cat-shadow just outside, still getting as near as she could. Kali is a queen of a cat; elegant and sophisticated, though she’s not beyond stealing a bit of fish. She’s very intelligent and understands perfectly when she’s crossed your limits. She’s always pleased to see me and gives me a full 15 minutes of rubbing-up-against. She’s just a lovely cat.

Pity I can’t say the same about her kittens. One in particular, is a nasty piece of goods. He hisses and indignantly demands food in the same breath. He gobbles and growls though his food. He snatches everyone else’s share and doesn’t let anyone get near him. And he doesn’t have an ounce of warmth. I’m going to ship him to Zimbabwe first chance I get.