Alfie in the Snow

But it gave me something to focus on, as we invited cats from our road, even Salmon who Tiger really wasn’t fond of, but I knew that she would have liked having him there. Dustbin was coming as well; Tiger had become part of his life too, and he wanted to say goodbye. George had spoken to Hana about it and she’d told him about something in Japan where humans went to the temples – whatever they were – and left something as a prayer or an offering. George and I didn’t quite grasp that but George was going to take his favourite toy mouse and leave it as something to keep Tiger safe which was very moving. Of course Hana couldn’t come with us, which was sad but there was no way to get her out of the house, even if she had wanted to.

George was quite upset about that and I assured him that as soon as I could I would come up with a plan to get her out or him in. I could see how much he needed a friend and although he had us, she was really just his, and more his age. And also I remember Tiger telling me never to give up on my plans. I almost smiled as I could hear her telling me to never stop with my mad schemes – not that I thought they were mad, of course. And I wouldn’t. Not that I could anyway. They were part of me.

But I thought that if I could find a way to get George and Hana together, it would help him. I wasn’t matchmaking, don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t sure whether George liked her in that way, or she him, and goodness knows relationships among the young could be difficult, but I was determined that their friendship would be a priority for me. He needed her, I knew that. And of course, with everything going on in her house, she also needed him.

George and I had a thorough grooming before he took the toy mouse in his mouth and we set off for the recreation ground and Tiger’s memorial. I could feel the sadness in the way we both walked, slowly, reluctantly almost, and I knew that wasn’t going away any time soon. The grief we felt was inside us but also visible in the way we moved, and how we looked. There was no hiding from it. George dropped his toy a number of times but I didn’t get irritated, I stayed calm. This wasn’t easy for any of us, after all. When we eventually reached the recreation spot, I was moved to see that there was a good turn-out. As well as Nellie, Elvis, Rocky, Tinkerbell and Salmon, Dustbin was there, looking smarter than normal, and some of the other cats from Edgar Road we usually didn’t see much as they were normally nocturnal. Tiger would have been pleased, I thought. I hoped she could see us all. I hoped she knew how many cats had turned out just for her.

Elvis, self-appointed expert on memorials, took the lead.

‘We are gathered here today to remember a very special cat,’ he said. Already I could barely hold it together. I glanced over at George who was staring very intently at the toy mouse. I stood as close to him as he would allow, but I wasn’t sure it made any difference. ‘Tiger was a feisty cat. She didn’t go looking for trouble but she never shied away from a fight if she was protecting her friends and family. I remember the first time I met her, she was having an argument with Tom, and I tried to intervene but she told me that she could more than handle him, and she did. So much so that her and Tom ended up very good friends.’ He paused and raised his whiskers.

I shivered. That was so Tiger. Tom had been a cantankerous cat who lived on our street and when I’d first moved here he really didn’t like me. He wasn’t that pleasant but Tiger sorted him out and they’d ended up very close. No one quite knew why and when I asked her she just shrugged it off and then he moved away with his owner. We had no idea where he was now, or even if he was still alive. Maybe they could both be in heaven arguing together now. I grinned at the thought.

‘We all loved Tiger, we are all going to miss her, none more so than Alfie and young George, here. But it’s only fitting that we remember the good things about Tiger, because there were so many of them, as we sadly say goodbye.’

Elvis was pretty good at this, I thought. He sounded as if he had done this before. He called each cat up in turn to speak about Tiger, recounting their favourite story, or memory. As I felt the love that everyone had for her, it warmed my heart. She would be so missed, but only those that were loved can be missed, I had to remember that. Soon, it was George’s turn. I nuzzled him.

‘Are you alright to do this?’ I asked, full of concern.

‘I need to do it for her,’ he replied and my heart swelled with pride.