Shiva Lullaby has a birthday

What is the source of the love she bears me? ... She has the modesty that belongs to perfect lovers, and their dread of too insistent contacts. I shall not say much more about her. All the rest is silence, faithfulness, impacts of soul, the shadow of an azure shape on the blue paper that receives everything I write, the silent passage of paws silvered with moisture.

Colette (1873-1954)
French Novelist

What a blessing she is in my life, and a blessing to Mike also. Shiva Lullaby is the softest cat I've ever had, and the most demonstrative cuddler. She announces her intentions and needs with a tiny mew that sounds like she's saying blrip. Playful with the other cats, she is gentle and snuggly with the dogs. Her shape is not like any other cat I've known, either, as nearly all her 8 lbs. are concentrated in her tummy. When we pick her up she goes all dead-weight and it feels like hefting a beanbag instead of a cat. She is indeed a bit overweight and I need to address that, but there's something in the way she goes limp while being lifted that makes her very vulnerable as she gives herself over to the experience. She displays a similar offering of self by appearing out of nowhere and plopping herself on her side near my feet. I'm getting used to looking for her before I take a step, lest that step land on her tail or paw, in which case she doesn't move but registers her complaint with a series of staccato nya-nya-nyas that sound more like a miniature goat than a kitty.

I'm smitten with this kitten who is no longer a kitten now but a year-old cat. Not smitten, I'm in love. As I told Shiva's vet: think of her as the 20-year cat and make all health care decisions accordingly.


(More about Shiva Lullaby: this is a link to a short video of her first night home with us, and post explaining her double name. The clip doesn't always load and I can't figure out why.)