My good friend, perhaps my best friend, Matisse, has made a habit of joining me on the yoga mat every afternoon. He yells until I come get him (have to carry him from the living/kitchen pod to the yoga/studio pod). Matisse has followed me in here now and is sitting on the second chair. He is a loyal friend. Old now. Bony face, very dark coat, reluctant to jump up on the laundry bench where I used to put his food but still strong enough to open the magnet reinforced pocket door with his paw. Richard can't. I can but with difficulty. We installed the magnets to try and keep him in so he wouldn't gorge on the other cats' food. It didn't work. Nevertheless he has aged, as have we all!
Matisse can be aggressive, badly aggressive to Nairobi, although he seems to have mellowed somewhat these last few years, but he has never raised a paw in anger to either Richard or me. Even loving Natalia can get overexcited and lash out in play aggression and we won't even speak of Nairobi who can be quite the nasty piece when annoyed, although she has mellowed too over time or maybe I just read her body language better.
Matisse however is content to be near me, quietly purring. He loves my lap when it's cool and often sits or lies so that his tail is draped over some part of my anatomy. Introducing Mikaela into the mix has complicated his life but he has rallied and hisses mightily when he thinks she is crowding him.
I love him. I hate that he is an old cat now but am so glad I've shared all these years, 14 years? with him.
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