At age 18, Carmen Mirandiego still rules the house.

Carmen Mirandiego is a lovely white and cream colored cat. She is Alice’s littermate. Carmen runs the house, and she loves to slip out the door and play chase-the-Carmen. This game is played by one cat and one or more humans. It involves the cat holding still until the human is two or three inches from touching the cat and then leaping about three feet away. Repeat until Cat is tired and ready to be petted.

Carmen has been depressed lately. Her sister passed away over the winter, and we lost her niece  Alice’s daughter, Jacqueline Frost, this fall. Jackie had been ill for a long time with a recurring ear infection.

Carmen on the big-screen TV.

Carmen stopped eating for a week or two after Jackie went away from us, and needed lots of personal attention. During my Thanksgiving week vacation day, I cuddled her as I played computer games. I can cuddle a cat while playing a game that only requires using the mouse, but it is hard to hold a cat and type. Cuddling seemed to be the medicine that she needed. She ate multiple small meals, and seems much more like her old self. At age 18, her coat isn’t as lovely as it once was; but she still runs the house, in spite of several young ones who would like to have that job.