Cats...A Part of Life!

Lucy Gordon and Susie, Nina, and two Berties...

Hi, I’m Lucy Gordon. I write Harlequin Romance, and I’m really glad to be involved in this. I’ve lived in both England and Italy, but wherever I am cats have always been part of my life, although they’ve often had to compete for attention with dogs, whom I also love.

Susie with Lucy

The first picture is more than twenty years old. That’s clear from the fact that I’m using an old-fashioned electric typewriter. As you can see I had a companion who sat on my lap even while I was trying to type. I’d like to think it was devotion, but I suspect she was making sure I kept on working to earn the money for pussy food.

That was my lovely Susie. She came to us because my husband found a kitten hiding under his car at work. She was obviously abandoned so he brought her home and she took possession of us.

Olympic Purr Champion Nina

The black and white cat was Nina, also a stray who decided that we were the ones she wanted to live with. She was notable for the extraordinary volume of her purring. If we were watching TV we had to turn the volume up. It’s a pity that purring never became an Olympic contest. She could have purred for England.

Both Susie and Nina lived to a ripe old age, and left us to cross the Rainbow Bridge only when it was really unavoidable.

Bertie 1

The black cat on the bench was the first Bertie. He was the most adorable animal in the world, endlessly affectionate, always wanting cuddles.

We only had him a couple of years. We were living in Italy (my husband’s country) at the time, but had decided to return to England. We went over to England to buy a house, leaving our animals in the care of a friend, and when we returned to Italy Bertie had vanished. There’s a little more about this on my website.

Bertie 2

In many ways he was my favourite, and when we were finally living in England again I tried to replace him with another black cat, whom I also called Bertie. The second Bertie looked identical but his personality was different. Far from being affectionate he would resist being picked up, and wriggle out of my hands. It seemed that he just didn’t have the loving nature of the first Bertie.

But a couple of years ago we discovered that he has a secret deformity. His kidneys are fused. It doesn’t affect his normal life, but I guess it makes it uncomfortable, even perhaps painful, for him to be picked up.

Bertie 2 at work

After that discovery everything changed. I’ve told him how sorry I am for misjudging him, and promised that things will be different. These days I never try to lift him, but show him affection by stroking and cuddling very gently. And now he returns that affection a thousandfold. He prefers to eat his meals sitting on the desk in front of me, so that I have to stop work to cater for him.

At other times he walks around the desk or curls up on the computer. I can’t help thinking that he’s like Susie, in that he too has made the connection between me working and him eating.

I can’t imagine life without cats. And I hope I never have to.

Lucy Gordon