Tag: cats

A story of loyalty

/ Margaret's Cats / 1 Comment

Now for a bittersweet story that I just read in an online article (in Italian): https://bit.ly/2ROsUVd

When you think of loyalty, you associate it with dogs, not with cats. And dogs love their owners…cats do not. Right?

Indeed, a common (superficial and truly annoying) assumption, which I have always fiercely disputed, is that cats are selfish, unfeeling creatures.

Well, today’s story is similar, in many ways, to the well-known story of Hachiko, the Japanese dog who waited for NINE YEARS at a train station for his deceased owner to return home.

Except that this is the story of a cat named Lilla, and we’re in a different part of the world–the Republic of San Marino, a small State completely surrounded by north-central Italy.

Like Hachiko, this San Marino cat, an 11-year-old female, has been waiting patiently every day, all day, in front of the supermarket where she used to go with her owner…who unfortunately died months ago.

Lilla was adopted by her owner’s granddaughter (Note: I’m translating from Italian, and in Italian “nipote” is both granddaughter AND niece, so this could be her niece).

But Lilla is still looking for her previous owner, the woman with whom she spent most of her life and to whom she was completely devoted. And so she waits for the supermarket doors to open…and for her owner to come outside…

Now who is going to tell me that cats don’t care for their human friends?

Why a cat blog?

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I’ve wanted to have my own cat blog for years now. Until recently, though, a good part of my free time was devoted to doing research for another blog, my personal health blog, titled “Margaret’s Corner. Living with smoldering myeloma in Tuscany” (see: https://margaret.healthblogs.org/). I have a type of deadly blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Luckily for me, I’ve been in the so-called “smoldering,” or inactive, stage for more than 15 years. So, life is good, fingers crossed.

Pinga (left) and Pandora, with a glimpse of Pavarotta in the back, on the left

But this is my cat blog, my “escape from reality” blog. No cancer talk…no politics…

Just cats.

Okay, so here’s my quick and easy answer to the question: why a cat blog? It’s because Stefano and I live with seven indoor cats of all ages and backgrounds. 

Even though they spend all their time inside, our cats are never bored. We live in a townhouse with plenty of space for everyone. The cats have tons of toys, floor-to-ceiling cat towers, and, best of all (of course!), they have me, almost 24 hours a day now. I stay/work at home most of the time, especially since early March (when Italy went into a total lockdown caused by Covid-19), so I’m always ready to hug, pet, or play with them, clean their litter boxes, feed them, and tend to their every need.

In the next few days, I’ll introduce these wonderful cats, one by one.

Incidentally, I won’t just be posting cute cat photos/videos and writing about fluffy, silly stuff. I mean, I’ll probably be doing that, too, but I also want to remember the cats we’ve lost and will therefore at times be discussing some rather difficult subjects, such as grief. But…that can all wait for later! First, let’s go with some photos and some fluff! 🙂