The Honest Courtesan

I’ve written before about how Grace’s cat Speck was much more closely bonded with her than is typical for cats, and after Grace died in January, Speck’s behavior slowly became more erratic.  She’s always been one to stake out specific places to sleep in when she wasn’t with her humans, but when the weather started to get cooler in September she started choosing dirtier places, like the area around her litterbox, and as a result she started smelling to the point I was about to give her a bath.  But first, I decided to try picking her up and holding her whenever I found her in such places, to get her out of the habit.  It worked, and she soon started sleeping in nicer places again, like on the back of the sofa or in front of the French window.  But she also realized that if she came up to me while I was on the computer and demanded my attention, I would let her sit in my lap and I could simply type around her.  You can see her favorite posture below: sitting upright with her head in my cleavage and her little paws hugging me under my robe; if I let her, she will stay there for hours, and because she doesn’t actually impede my work or comfort I’m content to let her stay until I need to get up for some reason.  Even then, she will usually go get herself a bite or a drink and then come right back as soon as I’m back at the keyboard.  I don’t think I’ll ever really replace Grace in her affections, but I’m glad we both have someone to cuddle who reminds us of the friend we’ve lost.