I feel as though Blossom has been right alongside me for most of my knitting career. A co-creator if you will. So many of my photos on Instagram over the years have featured her either intentionally or with an accidental photobomb. Or, more regularly the addition of a cunningly placed bit of fluff - only spotted after I had edited and hit publish.
They weave their way into our hearts, don’t they. They are right there with us, through the highs and lows. And even though saying goodbye to her this weekend (after a mercifully, very short illness) is definitely a low point we are so grateful to have had her in our lives.
They are there for us at our best and our worst, and we in turn are there for them. Although, to be fair Blossom was always slightly aloof and never particularly interested in our problems - except for our younger son - she and he definitely had a special bond and she would give him cuddles while the rest of us were treated to the icy ears of disdain.
We took it in turns this weekend to act as cat cushion when it became clear that she was very ill and just needed comfort. Husband took it upon himself to selflessly lie on the sofa watching all three of the Six Nations rugby matches - of course he couldn’t get up due to his essential cut cushioning chores so we had to bring him drinks/snacks to keep his energy up :)
And when Blossom decided that was too much and retreated under the sofa her brother Ebony took up sentry duty on the chair next to her. Sitting quietly while she napped, making sure that no one disturbed her.
Blossom was a cat that gave precisely zero fucks. So ballsy was her attitude that I gave her her own hashtag - #BeMoreBlossom - to celebrate those moments in life when you just have to go ahead and do what you have to do regardless of what others think of you. A reminder for myself on those days when I just had to channel my inner Blossom bolshiness and crack on.
When we went to the cat shelter to chose two from a new litter of kittens, Blossom caught our eye immediately. She was sleeping on top of the pile of siblings and the first thing she did on receiving visitors was crawl up to make a nest in my sons hoodie.
She always wanted to be up high, to dominate you (and not always in a loving way). If she couldn’t sit higher than you she would sit on your shoulder or as high up under your chin as she could manage. Cute as a kitten, annoying as heck when she was a 4kg fluffball.
Her fluffiness was legendary and I’m sure our home will still contain a fair share of it for years to come. In contrast to her super sleek brother she never quite got the memo about grooming. She always needed a bit of help to stay clean. Just a week ago she was walking around with a luminous orange nose where she had poked it into a tub of leftover Chinese sweet and sour sauce on the kitchen counter.
She loved nothing better than rolling in engine oil or mud and then coming home. Secure in the knowledge that her staff would be ready with towels and warm flannels.
She was a huge character who even as a kitten would take on full grown pigeons and the neighbourhood tom cat. We described her as having ‘more front than Blackpool’ and a friend of mine described her as having a ‘personality plus’.
We will miss her terribly, but the local mouse population will, I suspect, sleep a little easier in their beds.
Oh Louise so very sorry to hear of Blossom’s passing! We lost our Toby the small mixed breed dog we got so our granddaughter would have a pet to grow up here at our house! He was just days from his 14 th birthday! Our home is empty without him!!
I'm so sorry for your loss Louise! This was a beautiful tribute ❤️