A Poor Substitution

This is Kritter, my husband's cat.

He and I have a notoriously bad history. Most notably, when we got married he got mad and proceeded to shred one leg of my couch. How dare I have moved into his home?! and brought another cat and a dog?! Through and through, he's always been my husband's pet...and he's never really liked anyone else.

He's been mellowing a wee bit in his old age, though. Where once there was downright hostility, in the last year or so there's been tolerance.

And then my Tynan died.

The day after his death, Kritter came to me in the morning. I was still in bed - too tired and sad to get up. Kritter curled up in Tynan's old comfort position and started to purr. He stayed there for well over an hour, until I was ready to get up. He knew what I needed.

Since then, Kritter has taken to sleeping on my feet. He really wants Sean, but Sean's dog has always slept curled up next to her master, and the cat gets along with the dog even less well than he's gotten along with me. Having had a cat in that position for 18 years, I've found him to be a comforting replacement....even if we still have an odd relationship.

So you see, we have come to an understanding. I'm a poor substitution for my husband, and he's a poor substitution for Tynan. It's not perfect, but it works.