by Nathaniel
Nat and Cat
Dear readers, I know I've been largely absent from this site I created over 20 years ago. I have reasons... some of them quite boring involving finances / career so I won't bore you with those! In an effort to start writing again I'm opting for a diary like approach for the time being so you know I'm still alive and there's something to read, too. Today I am thinking about cats... which in truth I think about as often as cinema. My own fuzzy son Nero (who I co-parent with his original owner, my beau of the last 3 years) is in the emergency room getting oxygen and fluid treatment. He took a sudden turn for the worse just before the NYC air turned post-apocalyptic movie looking due to wildfires in Canada apparently. Given the timing it's probably unrelated but it feels emotionally true...
We're meeting with the vet again later today and hopefully can bring our boy home soon. Going to bed and waking up without Nero purring on top of me was extremely upsetting. Nero is the cuddliest cat I've ever had and he must think we abandoned him leaving him in some strange place with people poking and prodding at him.
This morning I had a sudden memory of a French movie where a young woman's cat goes missing while she's away on holiday...
I had to do a bit of googling to figure out the name, though I remember absolutely loving it at the time. Have any of you seen When the Cat's Away (1996)? The only distinct memory I have of the comedy is a short genius edit when the entire holiday is summed up with a blink and you'll miss it shot of the young woman Chloe (Garance Clavel) swimming in the ocean. Now I see from this IMDb image of the poster that the cat was black, like Nero. Unfortunately the movie isn't rentable or streamable now in the US. Though the movie featured a largely unknown cast at the time (at the time), one of them Romain Duris went on to major leading man stardom in French cinema. But I digress...
May Nero's emergency room visit feel just like Chloe's vacation. Over in an absolute flash.