Goodbye Miss Marple, hello Merlin

My beloved and gorgeous cat, Miss Marple, passed away just short of her 15th birthday in May. She was diagnosed with kidney failure and slipped away all in a matter of days. We had to make the heartbreaking decision of having her put down, something that still haunts me today.

Miss Marple really was my first baby. We went through so much together. She entered my life when I was at uni and accompanied me on the weekly train journey between my student flat and my parent's house. She relocated from Belgium to the UK with me and moved houses another 5 times in the years that followed. We fell in love with my now husband together. She went through all my ups and downs and in the years I was travelling a lot for work, she made my house a home, a place to come back to.

Miss Marple was loved by many, from the many housemates we shared our lives with to the friends who looked after her in my absence, not to mention my husband for whom she'd put on a full seduction show every day he was home.

She didn't take very well to having a baby entering her life and for that, I'll always feel a little guilty. She was a truly beautiful creature with a lovely temperament and a fantastic character. I'd hoped we had a few more years together but I guess it was time for her to go. I miss her every day and it was very hard to let another kitty enter my life.

But as Nimue, my daughter, is growing up, we noticed how much she was attracted to cats when we went to my family or to friends with felines at home. We decided she really needed a cat of her own to grow up with and Bristol and Wales Cat Rescue were organising a re-homing show at the end of September so... Enter Merlin!

Merlin is an "older" kitten, she's all black and very very soft and fluffy. She settled into our home without any problem and is steadily making her way into our hearts. She's mischievous, cuddly and oh so patient with our daughter!

The two of them became best buds in a matter of minutes. It is adorable to see the smile on my daughter's face when she sees the cat enter the room. It is lovely watching them play or cause mischief together. Miss Marple was a lovely cat, but the truth is she would never have bonded with Nimue in this way. Let's just say Merlin entered our lives at the right time and I really hope she and Nimue have many years of camaraderie ahead of them.

Goodbye Miss Marple, you are missed and will be missed for a long time. Welcome Merlin, you are a lovely kitty and we will provide you with the best home possible.

Oh, and a big thank you to Bristol and Wales Cat Rescue and their fosterers for all the amazing work they do.