As I write this, I’m sitting in my aunt’s house in chilly Sleepy Hollow, New York. But let me backtrack a couple of weeks to a summer day in Johannesburg, South Africa, when I was typing away in my home office and a skinny black kitten walked through the open glass door. She crept right up to Trixie’s food bowl, meowed a couple of times, and began eating voraciously.
I let her eat for a minute or two — she was clearly starving — then I put her back out on the deck and closed the door.
I’m not sure why I bothered trying to eject her. I already knew from previous experience that when a determined feline decides to join your household in Joburg, there is little you can do to stop it. And this cat was clearly determined.
So now we have a new cat. Her name is Brixton — we call her Brixie — and she’s five or six months old. She’s a classic tuxedo — black with white paws, white neck and chest, and a dainty white mustache. She loves rolling around on the floor, sleeping, and pooping prolifically in her litter box.
Trixie, Brixie’s unwilling older housemate, is not crazy about this new arrangement. But she’s slowly coming around, and Brixie is smart enough to give Trixie her space.
I’ve been dragging my feet on publishing this post, probably because this is the first new cat to come into my life since the departure of Smokey, the Melville Cat, more than two years ago. The Melville Cat always wrote his own posts, but Trixie never took to blogging and I doubt Brixie will, either. (Neither Trixie nor Brixie have the same regal sense of entitlement that the Melville Cat had.) Nonetheless, I think it’s important for Brixie to be formally introduced to the 2Summers world.
I’m sure Brixie will make occasional appearances on the blog in the future. And the Melville Cat’s Instagram handle lives on with occasional posts by Trixie, and now Brixie. Please follow them.
The blog will be on hiatus for the rest of December as the Blogitects enjoy a holiday in the U.S. (Trixie and Brixie will be well cared for back in Joburg.) Happy holidays!
Have a wonderful holiday you two and I am sure your cats will be thoroughly pampered in your absence.
Thanks Peggy!
Amongst a whole lot of things I miss about having a cat is how photogenic they are, such posers!
They really are!
What a beautiful post Heather and thank you for introducing us to your new bundle of feline joy! I know how heartbreaking it was for you to say goodbye to the Mellville Cat. I really feel for you and understand your loss as I’ve been through it so many times myself. But once you are a cat owner, you always become open to bringing a new cat into the household and you never run out of new love to give that feline. Each cat has their own distinct, beautiful little personality and they will always bring new joy and happiness into your life, even though we never stop mourning the passing of those that came before them. Congratulations on Brixie, I am just loving the nickname so much!! Trixie is also such a beauty of course, they are both gorgeous cats, adding much glamour to the decor in your magnificent home!! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness with them and hope you have a truly wonderful time in the States over the Festive Season, Lucky you!!!
Thanks so much, Maureen. Happy holidays.
Cats are amazing opportunists. And Brixie is no dummy, clearly. Maybe she and Trixie will eventually cuddle together…but not until it’s cold!
You never know. It’s hard to imagine them cuddling at this point – they mostly seem indifferent to one another – but cats are full of surprises.
Excellent post