Cat's Paw

My family got Cinders when I was nine. Nominally she was my ninth birthday present, but cat's choose their owner, and she ended up as Dad's cat. She's getting on in years, about ninety in human years apparently, and it shows. She's slower, doesn't play very much, doesn't jump very high, is missing some teeth... but she still heads outside every day to survey and protect her domain.

Every time I leave after a visit to my parents' house I wonder if I've seen her for the last time, but she still hangs on.