29/04/2026
Edit: Mr Chops’ response is in the comments 😽 Happy Birthday Mr Chops - 15 years old today and still a naughty kitten at heart! 13 years ago he turned up on our doorstep as a bolshy, confident youngster but sadly he became semi-feral when his then owners seriously neglected him. Left to fend for himself, he had to steal food to survive. and soon became a well known rascal in our neighbourhood and probably others.
I'd see him infrequently as he passed through our garden and one winter I saw that his coat had became terribly matted, his skin raw from where the mats had pulled. From a confident kitten, he was skittish and wary, clearly starving and afraid. Gradually I won his trust with kindess, treats and a meal. He started to visit more regularly at night, always at 11pm when I was on my way to bed but I'd sit with him for an hour, me at one end of the sofa talking to him and him on the back of it at the other end. He was clearly weary. He'd go missing for weeks at a time and I often wondered what had become of him until he reappeared.
The morning my dad died, I came home from the hospital, walked in through the front door and without caring to shut it behind me, I sat on the stairs and cried. Something made me look up and through my tears, I saw him flying across the road towards me. I'd not seen him around for at least a week, it was as if he knew. He curled up in my arms and I sobbed into his fur. To cut a long story short, he became my constant companion. When he's not asleep in his bed, he's napping on my lap, curled up on my head or doing cat things like knocking stuff off tables and plotting on the stairs.
So Happy Birthday Mr Chops, I know I sometimes (well quite often when I've work to do) moan about your clinginess, wish you didn't have to chaperone my every single bathroom visit or be persistantly vocal until I pay you attention but I know there won't be many more birthdays to celebrate, so you harrass me as much as you want as I know I shall miss my shadow terribly when that rainbow bridge calls. I won't even complain if you're sick on the carpet - just for today 😉🎂🎉🥳😹
