Someday I Will Miss When He Made it Impossible to Work

It’s inevitable that whenever I lay out a pile of papers to do some research, or, like here, my music in order to practice, a cat will immediately come over and plop himself down on top of whatever it is I’m working on.  When I still bought newspapers they were an especially favorite cat resting spot. Anyone who has a cat knows this.  You pull out a newspaper and a cat appears out of nowhere, jumping up.  Forget trying to read.

I say I will miss this because I’m haunted by this touching, brief obituary someone once wrote for her cat, and she had a caption under his picture which read something like “Sitting on my work for over” X years.  The point was, it’s annoying today, but you’re going to miss it when it’s gone. I know I post a lot of pictures of Finney sprawled wherever I’m working, it’s because ever since that obit I find it kinda poignant.  Except when he spills my coffee.

Stacy Horn

I've written six non-fiction books, the most recent is Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York.

View all posts by Stacy Horn →

5 thoughts on “Someday I Will Miss When He Made it Impossible to Work

  1. Too sweet! And yes, you will. My mother reminds me of this when I am short sometimes with my dog who will do just about anything to get me to stop whatever I’m doing to pay attention to him.

  2. your black cat is doing precisely what mine did: guarding your notebooks with a full body lie on (over?). Making you rethink your work. And staring deep into your eyes.

    I miss her all the time

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