Hello everyone, today I wanted to tell you about my beautiful cat Sennen.
Sennen came to live with me in about 1993. She had previously been the animal companion of my friend Sue, who named her Sennen for the town in Cornwall in which Sue grew up. Sue was heading overseas for six months, and knowing that I was a cat lover, asked me to take Sennen while she was away.
Sennen wasn't happy at first - she kept walking up to the front door and wailing as if to ask if she could go home now. After a couple of days she accepted that she was living in a new home and spent the next few days buried under the doona on my bed, emerging only for meals. Gradually she settled down with me and over the next fifteen years, lived with me in a further three places. For a while we lived in a first floor flat which fortunately had cars parked underneath the balcony. She used to love launching herself off the balcony on to the roof of a car underneath and from there could make her way out to explore the great outdoors.
Sue eventually returned from overseas after about four years away, but by this time Sennen had definitely become my animal companion and I'm sure she thought of me as her companion too. There was no way she was being returned!
Over the years Sennen has given me so much company and companionship. She has seen me through lots of sad times, like when my Dad was dying, and has been a great friend to come home to every night. Like all cats she has a talent for finding the most comfortable spots in which to sleep all day, and many's the time I have come across her curled up in a patch of sunshine, either in the kitchen or outdoors, contentedly snoozing away the day.
Earlier this year Sennen was diagnosed with kidney failure. Miraculously, the Vet treating her got her on to a drip - to this day I and her colleagues don't know how she did it, as Sennen has a reputation for being a feisty little thing who usually needs to be held down by one person while another treats her. The drip worked wonders and gave Sennen a few more months of quite good health.
Sadly in the past ten days her health has started to fail. She had some blood tests during the week that didn't hold happy news, and in the last few days she has given up all pretence of eating. Thankfully I am now on holidays for two weeks, so can spend time at home with her. I don't know how much more time my darling girl will last, but I know she is really enjoying the sunshiny days that are seeing out Winter.
So, no recipe today I'm sorry as I just want to sneak back to the heater and curl up with Sennen as we probably don't have too many afternoons together left. I am so lucky for all the time that I have had with her.
Jane xx
