Little Babby Friend

Babs refused to open her eyes for my picture.

Yesterday our little cat Babs had to go to the vet, and I was really worried about her. I was so glad when she got home all right, and I fêted her with catnip and treats and a can of Fancy Feast. Babs is so loyal and trusting and forgiving, such a good friend. She’s so endearingly messy. When I got home from work she came running to me with a spider web on her nose.

Often when I’m feeding Babs, Rob will say, “Look, she doesn’t even want any food. She just wants to be friends.” And it’s true. Babs loves companionship. She likes to sit by the pond with Rob and watch the goldfish, and she likes to sit on the warm driveway with me; I’ll give her treats and pet her. Even when she’s reveling in catnip, she’s very gentle and careful with her claws. She likes to lick my hand.

Milan Kundera said dogs are our link to paradise, but I think the same thing could be said about cats: “To sit with a cat on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring—it was peace.”