Those of you who have attended concerts at Hampstead Lane will most certainly have met Boris. You will also have realised that he, not I, was the real owner of number 33. Although he did allow me to hold concerts in the house – and did always check out both the musicians and the audience to make sure he approved of them.
Boris, courtesy of Alison Gardiner, awaiting the arrival of the audience.
As for the music. It was hard to know whether he stayed for some concerts because he was enjoying the music or because he espied an especially comfortable lap on which to go to sleep. But those musicians for whom he stayed did feel suitably honoured. Here he is shedding ginger fur all over my lap while I tried to film around him during the Slate concert last month.
But sadly our last concert, Declan Hickey and his lovely sooothing guitar, was Boris’ last.
He had, as many of you will have realised, long since exceeded his three score years and ten, was very arthritic and not as fast as once he had been. But he was still patrolling his space, climbing up and down his steps to get to his cat flap – and consuming prodigious quantities of organic Yeo Valley yogurt.
But last Tuesday I was out till very late and we think that he must have missed his footing somewhere and fallen, seriously damaging his back and/or back legs. At an early morning emergency visit to the lovely Highgate Vets we agreed that if they could not control his obvious pain (which they couldn’t) and in view of his age and his debilitating arthritis, the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep.
So he came home with me on Wednesday night, as drugged up as we could get him, for everyone to say goodbye. We made him as comfortable as we could for the night on his favourite chair and on Thursday morning, at the kind hands of Dr Nina at Highgate Vets, he went off very peacefully for that long sleep in the sky.
I then came home an spent an extremely energetic afternoon clearing a nice space in the garden and digging him a very fine, slate line grave ready for a small ceremony in the evening. Rest in Peace, Boris.
Those of you who are cat minded might wish to read more about Boris’ earlier career – and that of his fellow residents. If so please go to Michelle’ cats – Frodo, Mushkin and Boris.
Meanwhile I could not resist including this picture of him annexing Joseph Spooner’s cello case (in which he did in due course go to sleep) and Alison’s very happy and chirpy picture of him with Declan a couple of weeks ago.
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So sad to hear your news. I thought he was lovely and I’m a number one marmalade cat fan! 😢😢
Thank you Catherine – he will definitely be missed…….
I feel really sad to hear this news. Boris and Michelle were the perfect duo, always welcoming visitors to no.33, Of course Boris was really in charge and, like any head of house, he always came to listen and judge the musicians, usually finding a lap in the front row! He’d often look up to check the audience, too. I had the pleasure of his company at last month’s lunchtime concert – we both behaved impeccably! We”ll miss you, Boris, but you’ll stay in hearts and minds.
Oh thank you Jean – you have Boris to a ‘T’. I am glad that you were able to share such a pleasant concert with him last month.
Michelle, I do feel for you with the loss of Boris. my family is just now grieving for the loss of a very black cat called Nelson , who lived near Sedbergh and who had to go to the cat’s heavenly fields full of rabbits because of severe kidney failure.
Margaret x
Thank you Margaret – it is very sad but at least we know they are sleeping the sleep of the just!