“Davy the loving, sneaky, shy 18 year old cat.”

“We got Davy from the Seattle Humane Society when I was 4 years old. My siblings, 6 and 8, picked two stray runt siblings with chopped tails, squat legs and attachment issues. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the best choice our family has ever made.

Davy has been invisible for most of his 18 years. He is most often found deep within the comforting embrace of the laundry closet. If you’d met his sister, Daisy, you would understand.

Daisy was the yin to Davy’s yang: rotund where he was slender; pushy where he was reticent; determined where he was skittish. You could find her licking his head lovingly or squashing him with her sheer bulk, depending on her mood. It’s no wonder most friends and family thought Daisy was our only cat.

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Davy turned over a new leaf after a close call with death in the fall of 2016. After moving for the 3rd time—from Ottawa to Kansas City and back again 8 months later, Davy was attacked by a neighbourhood dog. His throat was partially crushed and he was put on a ventilator. We thought it was over for our scrawny, anxious little man after 16 years and two transatlantic moves.

To our surprise, he made it through with a throaty croak for a meow, that bewildered him as much as it did us. I believe this experience was Davy’s “Come to God moment”. He realized the error of his stand-offish ways and became the kind, loving cat we’d never known.

Davy went from invisible house guest to frequent squatter on the shoulder of my mom’s armchair. It was an invasion of the body snatchers, and I came to see that a grumpy old cat can learn new tricks.

When my parents became empty-nesters, the cats settled into a quiet companionship centered around who could be closest to them on the couch. After 16 years of proudly pretending he couldn’t tell them apart, my dad descended deep into a “Cat Man” spiral. He went from threatening to turn Davy into slippers to referring to Daisy as his best friend and talking to her every morning as she followed him around the house. The cats even achieved a tentative peace with Lucy, our Wheaten Terrier, after years of antipathy and hissing.

We lost Daisy on a sunny afternoon in July after 18 years of vengeful ankle swipes and indignant face nips. In her absence, Davy has taken to howling at all hours if he’s left unattended. It is clear Davy is grieving the sister he sometimes liked, but absolutely became accustomed to having by his side.

These pictures are for my mom because she says Davy is her best-looking child, and because I wanted her to have beautiful images of Davy before he leaves us.” - Isabel