LEO THE GREMLIN

Anyone following my Instagram will see dozens of photos of my little black and white gremlin Leo. 

In 2007, after years of pleading with Robin for a cat, I responded to an ad on Gumtree selling black and white kittens ( I know NOW never to do that, but hey ho) Anyway, once I've got something into my head, I can't let it go. Reluctantly, Robin agreed and his only words were "he  better be cute".  On a whim, I responded, got a reply and before the day was over I was bundling this little furball into a cab from a random estate in Lewisham and took him home. The moment Robin walked through the front door, Leo was officially his- it was love at first sight and the start of a beautiful bromance.

The docile and cuddly kitten I envisioned having were dashed as it turned out Leo was actually the world's grumpiest kitten. He bit, he scratched, and would only tolerate Robin if he had to be held. We once came home and found he had managed to jump onto the kitchen counter and eaten 2 raw chicken breasts that were defrosting in the sink. I would have been furious if not for the sheer comedy that was his rotund little belly full of chicken. 

A year later, we moved flat and our new place had a garden. He was out of that cat flap as soon as he could and he became a different cat. Turns out, our little monster was just bored out of his brain being cooped up indoors! Fast forward five years later and Leo loves nothing more than sleeping on our laps, or in my case, my head. He'll be yours forever if you scratch his ears and if you leave a bag on the floor, you can be sure that he'll find his way into it. We've had countless headless rats presented to us (in the bathtub) and gone through endless collars- the kid just can't stand a collar.

This sudden love fest for Leo is because yesterday, after a week or so of him being poorly- he's had two convulsions and stopped eating- the vet rang and said he had FIV. If not for the two years I worked at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, I would have been devastated and would have thought that  he would have to be put down immediately. FIV cats can live a normal lifespan, but like human HIV their immune system breaks down and they become susceptible to everything . He may have been born with it, or he might have caught it from the numerous tom cat fights he got into as young lad. Either way, he has it and right now our little lion is a very poorly one. 

We're getting more tests done and possibly a scan and my biggest fear is that he has silently reached the chronic stage of the illness and we've been none the wiser. Leo makes up our little family unit of three. We've turned into the kind of people who dote on their pet like a child. I've woken up every morning fearful that he's taken a turn for the worse.

So, that's it. I haven't been anywhere interesting or done anything worth mentioning. I've just been keeping an eye on him wanting him to return to his little gremlin self.