11/08/2026
💔Fiona, CH & PR Cagaran Beannachd-Fionn
19/09/2010 - 09/08/2026
Tonight we dropped Fi off at the crematorium. I can't believe it's the last time I'll ever see her. She has been there through so many of the big events in my adult life, from my first major promotion at work, through the challenges of the glamping build and the heartache of my long-term relationship breaking down, to finally getting the site opened (she's on some of the marketing materials for the Cat Cabin, carefully crossing the rope-bridge) and my subsequent engagement to Matt. Through it all she's been there, with her ridiculous purr and gentle way of knowing exactly when I needed her, whether I wanted to celebrate or cry into her fur.
She was the first-born kitten in our first litter from Dàrna (I GR CH & GR PR Dayjoy Orla) and I knew I wanted to keep her from when she was just a few days old. By the time she was a few weeks I was absolutely smitten. She helped to raise her mum's next litter and then, in time, became a brilliant mum herself, giving us eleven kittens from three different dads. All the recent Cagarans can trace their lines back to her somewhere (our current lot are her 8xgreat grandkids), and we owe her and her mother so much in terms of the temperament of the many kittens who've come after them.
Fi has always known her mind and had such an expressive face that you were never in any doubt about what she thought or wanted. She always liked to share some of whatever we were eating, but she never snatched or demanded - she would just sit next to you and stare up at you, purring loudly, certain that you were going to feed her at some point so there was no need for any antics. And sure enough, that meant she did get a piece of chicken or a prawn, and would always look very pleased with herself for having circumvented the 'no begging' rule.
When we got our new sofas at the end of 2022, Fi decided that if Matt was working on his laptop then the best sleeping-spot in the whole house was the arm of his chair, using his mouse-hand as a chin-rest (she always loved a chin-rest). Matt found this both incredibly endearing and extremely inconvenient, which seemed to please Fi immensely.
Her first show was the Asian Group Cat Society, when she was only just old enough to go, and she absolutely loved it. She went 'Best Kitten' and ended up in a BIS pen beside the well-known 'Stevie G' (UK OS I GR PR Rainsong Stevie Gerrard) and an equally famous adult, and I remember thinking how ridiculous it was that she was up there in such illustrious company. A couple of months later, at six months old, she ended up in the last three for Best in Show at the Preston & Blackpool show, between a huge British Black male (the beautiful Xzibit Chicago), and a seal point Siamese, and she was just this tiny thing who screamed in Peter Collin's ear because she wasn't impressed with her new neighbours.
In general, she has always made her wishes known without drama, but as hormones kicked in, she decided she hated shows and demonstrated this by screaming the show hall down. She didn't go back to a show until she was in her teens, and I wish I'd tried again earlier because she absolutely loved it latterly. At the Edinburgh show last year she managed to get herself vetted out mid-morning because the judge thought she was swollen up, when in fact she'd just eaten two breakfasts of her own and then finished off all her companions' breakfasts as well. This vetting-out resulted in her getting to spend the middle of the day in the judges' room, where she sat on the lap of one of our friends, getting fed pulled-pork from the judges' lunches - she was living her absolute best life! When the duty vet realised she was fine, she was then allowed back into the show hall to spend the afternoon cuddling her adoring public.
When we lost her mum, back in 2021, Fi stepped into the role of matriarch without fuss or complaint from the others - they just accepted she was boss. It's unclear, yet, who is going to fill the void she now leaves but last night, her granddaughter climbed onto the arm of the chair where Fi used to lie, and gently laid her head on Matt's mouse-hand, though she's never done it before. After a few seconds, she looked up at him as if to say "am I doing this right?" before putting her chin back down. It's not only us who are affected by this loss.
Fi was, variously, a clown, a nurse, a mother, a therapist, a great beauty and, quite simply, the most wonderful cat anyone could ever hope to own. She was the favourite of so many people who visited our house, and offered therapy to many people in need, over the years. What I'd give to be able to sink my face in her silky-soft fur right now.
She lives on in all her many descendants, but our lives will never be the same.
Rest easy, my beautiful Fi, 'Granny Foofle'. We owe you so much and will never forget you.
