I got a kitten

it must be the fact i’ve been so very ill, at home, bored, and waiting for vital signs in and outside of my body – but i got a kitten. she is a very small tortoiseshell cat and we have named her Piranesi after Susanna Clarke’s perfect book from 2020. The name is grand and eclectic and perfect because, as my boyfriend pointed out, the cat is imprisoned by a capricious weirdo now (book spoiler).

We call her Piri for short, and P, and Pie. And Bug, while she has those blue kitten eyes and looks more like a bug than a cat.

I am basking in her. She is very sweet. Lots of burrowing under the quilts, sleeping on my shoulder. She has no fear. My boyfriend took her to work last week. She did a shift in a bookshop – which brings me back to the name. Everyone should read Piranesi. I took her to the vet this week and before the vet had even said hello, she’d told me about how she heard Susanna Clarke on Radio 4 and the audiobook was purchased, she just hadn’t gotten round to it yet. After the vets, I popped into Pets at Home and an employee said Piranesi was one of her favourite books. I was slightly worried about the name but those two interactions made me feel less insane for this decision. I love little Piri. Chronic fatigue makes my life so shit in the summer, and only slightly less shit in the winter. I feel a lot of compassion and gratitude to Susanna Clarke for writing through her own chronic illness. So I love little Piri but I love big Piranesi too : )