Caturday: A study in Gracie

Because both Tiggers have been the bigger clowns, the ones who stick near me like glue, and the most easily photographed, today, I bring you: Gracie.

First we have Gracie waking up from a nap that she decided to take on her back. This is one of those rare belly shots, and as you can see, her beautiful white fur has completely grown back. She was at the vet’s for her annual shots, and he reminded me that it’s been nearly three years since her bout with irritable bowel disease and the town’s worst vet (not the one we were at, obviously). In fact, she gained nearly a pound since last year, and, uh, now I have to cut down her food.

Next we have my hourly annoyance. Sometimes several-times-hourly. Gracie comes into the office and yowls at me to pet her. Her vocal range is pretty astonishing. There is what I call “the imperious mew,” which is a loud demand to leave whatever I’m doing and pet her. There is the long, wavering yowl when I’m busy working and she really, really, wants me to pet her. She does that often while I’m on the phone with Sarah, and it never fails to make Sarah laugh. There are the many different chirrups and burbles, elicited with and without petting. In this picture, she was merely purring.

This is what I see most mornings: Gracie curled up not far from me, lounging in the sun.

And this is Princess Gracie, deigning to pose for us mere mortals. She does this type of pose best. It’s what gained her the royal moniker. She is truly one of the most beautiful cats I’ve had the pleasure to own. And one of the sweetest.

Last week, when Sarah and the kids came over to watch Megashark vs. Giant Octopus, Gracie came downstairs, threaded her way among the four children, and sat down to wait for me to pet her. I love that she’s comfortable enough around the children that she’ll visit with them. She is, without a doubt, happier here and now than she has ever been in her life. And it seems I may have her for many years to come, if her heart murmur doesn’t get any worse. I’d like that. She’ll be thirteen in March. May she live to see twenty.