Everyday Life for Four Seasons

This is Erma.

She turns 15 years old soon. Erma is the best cat in the world. She's steady. I can count on her to always be the same, no matter what is going on around her. She's predictable. She sleeps in the same spot day in, day out, until suddenly she changes her spot, and then sleeps in that same spot for a few weeks.


One of the neat things about Erma is that she is a polydactyl cat. She has many, many toes on each foot. I think there are 6 on each. The extra toes have always managed to get caught on the carpeting where ever we have lived. When she walks on wood or ceramic floors, her extra toes go clickety-clack, as if she is wearing high heels.

Somewhere along the way, she got fat. I think it was when I started apartment living and she couldn't go outside anymore. She stayed fat for a long time. Then last year, she lost a lot of weight really fast. 6 pounds in a few months. All of the tests came back normal. Not only normal, but, "wow, for her age, she is so healthy!" normal.


She continues to lose weight, but at a slower pace now. She's losing interest in the world around her. Her eyes have a different look in them. She's putting distance between us. I don't know what the future holds for her. I hope that life continues to be kind to her.


No distance in these eyes.