Harry

Next in our series of introductions in our gallery of inspiration, Harry. In case you hadn’t worked it out, Will and Harry are brothers, possibly named after two famous brothers in England where the four legged, fluffy versions were also born.

I might have said when I talked about Will, that the day I went to see them, I had no intention of bringing home two furry bundles, but how glad I was when I did. Not only were the two of them inseparable, but it meant I had far less scratches on my hands at playtime! The way they bundled and played before curling up beside me or on my lap - adorable. Such cute, little faces, so spoiled and a very welcome addition to the home that I had wanted for a very, very long time.

Harry was definitely the drama queen of the two (I wonder if I’ll get in trouble by asking if anyone had already guessed that…?) but like his brother, was a lover, not a fighter. I will never forget the yowl at 6am one morning, and rushing out, there he was, perched on the fence on the other side of the lane whilst another cat hissed and spat and advanced on him. He just sat there, freaking out and waiting for Mummy - in dressing gown, bed hair and a mop - to come and rescue him. The two of them were so much this way inclined, that another cat in the area, a huge big black Tom, used to on occasion join the brothers for mealtimes without any kind of territorial war!

Ah Harry. That voice. He always made himself heard…there was the 2 hour taxi ride from Gatwick Airport one day that is forever etched in our brains and for that driver, I still feel sorry for having to put up with Harry’s cries and my repeated “it’s alright Harry”’s. I’m sort of surprised we all weren’t unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road part way back…to that driver, again, thank you!!!

You’ll note I’ve been using past tense in talking about Harry. On September 8th, 2024, having never ventured far at all and certainly not towards a main road, our fluffball was hit by a car on the far side of a very busy road.  Why he was down there, I wish I knew…When two lovely women found him, they scooped him up and tried to save him but couldn’t.  I’m still so grateful they were able to return him to us so we could have him properly taken care of and returned to his home.  My little drama queen, the cuddliest and most demanding of the menagerie, who used to plonk himself on my pillow every night or on my chest when I was reading, making it clear that he was to be the centre of attention.

He went by many names: Harold, Haroldinho, Dinho the Third, Porkchop, Bommy (don’t ask but thank the 4 year old at the time for that one), I still can’t believe he’s gone. There is someone I follow on Facebook, Dante The King is a Freisian Stallion and his Mum frequently talks about how thin the veil is and how much Dante has taken on attributes that her heavenly Cor had. Recently, Will has started taking Harry’s place on my pillow - a huge source of comfort and a gentle sign that Harry is still with us on some level.

I have only just been able to go anywhere near that stretch of road and writing this has left me in tears. Whilst his super loud purrs, and making biscuits, will be forever missed, I am glad I have about 10000 photos of him and many, many more memories. Our animals are our family. I wish everyone treated them as such.

#mypetlife

#menagerie

#fluffybabies

#heartbroken

#keepthemsafe