Reflections of Orange in Grey

In some ways, Cammie reminds me of Tungsten. Certainly, there are more contrasts than comparisons, but now and then, when the princess does something, a memory of the late orange one suddenly returns, perhaps one that has not been thought of in a while.

I noted this when the weather here turned very cold recently. Firstly, Cammie loves the heated cat-beds. She will now use one and then the other. Tungsten of course adored her cat-bed. She claimed one in a specific location. It was hers. Perhaps both of these felines' affection for the beds came from the fact that they fit so well into them. Perhaps it is due to their relatively thinness compared to my other beasts, and thin bodies need a bit more heat. But Tungsten was very thin indeed.

Before we moved to the house, we lived in an apartment very similar to the one in which we currently reside. Its heat was provided by hot-water pipes along the base of the walls. Before the advent of the cat-beds, Tungsten would often lie against the metal casing of the pipes and enjoy a more direct warmth. Cammie does this, too, periodically, forsaking even the cat-beds to do so. I hadn’t thought of Tungsten’s habit until I observed Cammie acting the same way.

I wonder sometimes what the two cats’ relationship would have been if the tiny terror had lived. Cammie acted differently toward her than she did toward the others. She would stalk Tungsten, and sometimes chase her, but only if Tungsten ran from her. The princess rarely hissed at my top-cat, and I think now and then that they may have become friends.

But then again, maybe not. They were probably too much alike, and too different, for that.