2020: Fleur’s Purrspective

Oh hai!

It’s Miss Fleur here.

I can tell it’s that time of year again – the Christmas tree is up, with lots of fascinating packages underneath it just begging for me to release them from their wrapping.

But I know I would get into a lot of trouble if I did that, so I thought I would put paws to keyboard and try and keep myself out of mischief and give you a wrap up of the year instead.

I keep hearing how 2020 has been a very different year for the hoomans, but it’s had quite an impact on the life of this little kitty too …

January

The year got under way like any other – with plenty of the adoration which I deserve.

Mummy has started calling me the World’s Worst Cat (#worldsworstcat) because I don’t like being picked up and cuddled. So you can imagine her surprise when my non-fur brother (though he’s looking a bit furrier these days) sent her this selfie one day; I got quite cosy on his lap while she was out!

February

I look very wise in this photo as if I am gazing into the future. Actually I’m just daydreaming, and staring out the window.

*Sigh* this photo below makes me sad for days gone by. Back then I was still allowed to sit on the dining chairs. I didn’t realise how good I had it, because not long afterwards I started clawing the back of the chairs and since then I have been banned from getting up on them altogether.

March

I might be an indoor kitty, but I just love chewing on grass. It’s said that certain plants (the most well known is that other form of “grass”!) contain powerful terpenes that are good for both human and pet health and wellbeing – relieving pain, inflammation, and anxiety. Maybe that’s what the attraction is?

At any rate, I am always very happy when my hoomans give me a bouquet of grass to nibble on – being an indoor kitty, it is something of a rare treat.

I look a bit purr-plexed in this photo below. That’s because all of a sudden daddy was home all the time; there’s a pandemic out there so everybody has to stay inside. I don’t know what a pandemic looks like; maybe a bit like the big black dog next door?!

I kept trying to tell my hoomans it’s not so bad, after all, I’ve always been an indoor kitty and it’s a great way of life!

At first I thought it would be wonderful having both of my hoomans home to give me love and pats 24/7. What I hadn’t realised is that daddy likes to tease and play – like the day he put the laundry basket over me. He thought I’d get upset, but as you can see I was purrfectly content and felt very snug and secure.

April

It’s a cat-astrophe! I thought I’d got rid of him last year, but SETH IS BACK. He came for a ‘holiday’ … but he’s still here 8 months later. You can tell by the look on my face that I was not impressed about sacrificing my beloved patio for HIM. Humpf.

We seemed to get a lot of boxes delivered this year – something called ‘online shopping’? As you can see, I wasn’t complaining at all!

The hoomans are still being told they need to be indoor hoomans only. Mummy was doing puzzles for fun, and as you can see, I like to help.

May

I had some very important jobs to do in May. First I had to look after the presents ready for my furless brother’s birthday.

Then mummy decided to give her bedroom a makeover, so I helped her to put the new Ikea bedside tables together.

But as you can see, I made sure I still had plenty of time to sun myself out on the upstairs deck; winter is definitely on the way.

June

The new bedspread arrived! It got my paw of approval right from word go.

Here I am snuggled up with my friends Brave Bear and Sophie.

July

Mummy got a new phone – can you notice how much better quality the photos are now? She loves to play with something called ‘purr-trait mode’, like in this pic where I am hiding in the wardrobe.

Daddy was still working from home so I was kept busy making sure both he and mummy stopped what they were doing regularly to give me pats and love.

And the lawn must have needed mowing again because I was given another bouquet of grass!

Whenever I get stressed, I like to chew on a box. Mummy and daddy get a bit uptight sometimes when they are working, but I still haven’t been able to convince them that chewing a box is an excellent stress reliever. As a bonus, they’d have plenty of confetti (catfetti?!) ready for my furless sister’s wedding next year!

August

Daddy was still working from home, not that I minded. His hand makes a nice pillow.

Mummy got a new lamp for her desk, I love it, it matches my fur!

September

Daddy kindly put a furry blanket on top of the printer, so I have a warm spot to snooze – right in between where he and mummy are working.

Or on sunny mornings, I love to sit on the deck and watch the birds and butterflies.

Mummy has been at that ‘online shopping’ thing again, this time we have new rugs downstairs. They coordinate beautifully with my fur and protect my paws from the chill of the tiles!

October

Mummy ordered me a cosy felt pod during the cold winter months, when it finally arrived it looked nowhere near as nice as it had on Facebook.

I wasn’t sure at first but soon decided it would do nicely.

Another day, another box. Why sit IN the box, when you can sit on top of it? After all, I *am* top cat around here!

Spring is in the air and I have been enjoying some quality time out on the deck …

As well as sleeping on the job … ooops, helping mummy in the office.

November

The only problem with both the hoomans still working from home is that I get absolutely NO privacy. Can’t a kitty take a bath in peace?!

I’ve decided that I *really* like the laundry basket when it’s empty –

And even more when it’s full! (Though Mummy wasn’t happy for some funny reason.)

Mummy won this pearl bracelet when she was a finalist in some business awards.

I think this photo (below) clearly shows who’s the boss in this household …

December

I got into trouble for climbing up in front of the TV (though I notice mummy took a photo first so it can’t have been THAT naughty) and daddy growled at me.

So I went to my room (mummy calls it the laundry) and sulked.

I’m not just helpful in the office you know. Here I am keeping an eye on mummy when she does her yoga and stretches, to make sure she is doing them correctly.

Another sure sign of Christmas is when mummy gets my Santa pants out for me to play with! I love my Santa pants!

They make an excellent rustling noise when I attack them.

And when I’m tired of playing, they make a great spot for a catnap.

As 2020 draws to a close, I am curious about what the future holds:

• Have we got this pandemic licked?
• When will daddy go back to the office?
• Will Santa bring me some prawns for Christmas? They are my favourite treat after all!
• And when will Seth move out? (It can’t be soon enough for my liking!)

There’s nothing much left to say, except:

Meowy Christmas!

Love from Miss Fleur x