Beowulf, the black and white cat
Max
& Darla
My sister, Mary, when she was between her second and third marriages, adopted three feral cats, siblings. Beowulf, Darla, and Max. When she married Neal, she moved the cats into their huge cellar because Neal is allergic to cats.
During Covid, she asked if I would adopt one of therm. So we drove to Marietta, Ga., and I went down into the cellar shaking a container of treats. Beo is the only one of the three who came out, so off he went with us to Florida.
He spent 10 days hiding under our bed and when he finally came out & discovered he could go outside, he spent the next 4 years enjoying the freedom. He and Nala became good buddies and later, when our daughter went off to Washington state to work on whale tour boats in Anacortes, we took her black cat, Binx.
In June 2023, Mary died suddenly and unexpectedly. So when we lost Beo to congestive heart failure in September 2024, I felt as if I’d lost a part of my sister.
Neal remarried earlier this year & asked if I would take the other 2 cats. We decided to meet him in Orlando & he brought the two cats, Max and Darla, and gave them to us. It was terrific to see him – the first time since Christmas 2023 – and I’m delighted he has remarried. My sister wouldn’t have wanted him to spend the rest of his life alone.
Now we’ve got Max and Darla. They’ve got the back bedroom for now and gradually, I’ll introduce them to Nala and Binx. Nigel, our Golden met them in Orlando and rode home with them in the car. But they were in carriers, so it wasn’t face to face. I’m sure he’ll welcome them just as he did Beo, Nala and Binx.
As for me, I feel like I have part of my sister again.
