Maynard and Merla

I never really liked cats.

I grew up with dogs as pets, even briefly showed them professionally when I was younger.
I like my pets to be unconditionally cuddly and loving, and dependent on me.

Cats always seemed unloving, cold and uncaring, and I didn't see the point in having one as a pet when it would just live past me.

But in February 2010 my boyfriend and I adopted one of my friend's cat's kittens, a gorgeous grey ball of fluff that we called Maynard, after the lead singer of one of our favourite bands, Tool.

Maynard Steamcat Meow.

His eyes were bright green, and he had a thick, healthy coat of grey hair - truly a handsome boy. Even so, he was very much the affectionate and dependent baby (much to my surprise). He loved to cuddle in bed, would insist on lying on top of us or on our pillows like some sort of avant-garde cat-hat, and ALWAYS had something to say to or about us. He talked to us constantly, and purred unbelievably loudly and often.

Maynard was instantly loved by everybody that met him, because of his friendly and affectionate personality - our close friends called him a cat-dog.

He was hit by a car in the street outside our flat in October 2010, and died at the age of 9 months.
We were both devastated.

After a mourning period, during which we tried to deal with his loss in the best ways that we knew how, we started thinking...
...about how we missed having a pet around.

We finally decided that we would look for a kitten to adopt, and we were lucky to find Merla, the tiniest kitten of the lot.

Merla, the new addition.

We've had her for three months now, and she has lit up our lives. She's the naughtiest kitten I've ever come across, but she is infinitely loving and talkative and affectionate and involved in our lives. Cuddling with her at night is a pleasure, and the highlight of my day is getting into bed with my little family.

I love Merla dearly, but miss Maynard every single day.

I don't really know what the conclusion of this rambling story is. There isn't really one. I just love my fur-babies so much that Maynard's loss still hurts deeply, and Merla is my latest obsession (it helps that she's cute as hell).

I can't imagine my life without my pets.