I have a lovely little gray cat named Anya.
She's just about the same age as my son and the only other girl in the house, so we have a nice bond.
Sometimes she's been another child, waking me up in the middle of the night to go outside and fighting with her "brothers" or me or dad. One night she meowed loudly until I came to the door to see her finish off a mouse she'd been hunting. (I don't think I gave her the praise she seemed to be looking for.)
She sleeps at the foot of the bed, and if bedtime approaches and I'm not there, she comes and sits by my feet wherever I am.
Lately, especially in the last week or so, I've noticed how much we've come to know each other. Instead of hanging around occationally or at bedtime, she's practically followed me around. She comes inside more frequently and jumps to sit on my shoulder several times a day (a favorite spot of hers since she was a kitten). I think she can sense my discomfort.
Since the beginning of May my chronic and occasional
