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www.southernsenior.info 15 Yesterday I was attacked by a bird! What has become of this world where everything is back- wards? Even the birds don’t remember that cats are supposed to attack them, not the other way around! Silly bird. The other day, Mom and I were standing in front of a mirror, just looking. I could see myself, but I did not see anything about me that was famil- iar. I saw a corpulent senior cat with a greying face, when I was hoping to see Emma, the svelte, athletic goddess that I know is the real me. Now I seem to be more…well-rounded. Mom hasn’t changed as much as I have al- though she is well-rounded too, and the fur on her head is a little more white than it was. I seem to have changed in other ways as well. I like to eat, but I have had to cut back on eating certain things because they upset my stomach. Now I need my food to be gluten-free. And de- caffeinated. I am still a great hunter, but now I just go after the small stuff. I still bring almost everything I catch into the house and show it to Mom. However, meowing loudly with my mouth full is not as easy as it used to be. Sitting up straight is good, but I would rather lie down. I am still watchful, but I do not jump at everything I see or hear any more. Except thun- der. Some of those thunderclaps shake the house and then every critter around jumps to run and hide. With all that excitement, I need my sleep a lot more than I did. They say an adult cat sleeps 17 hours each day. Phooey on that. I am an adult cat and I have brought cat-napping to a new level of under- standing, extending the sleep experience to at least 22 hours every day. I guess my favorite thing now is lying down where I can sleep or just watch. Last week I was crouched under my favorite tree, watching the world go by as I often do nowadays, and I remembered my PawPaw. PawPaw used to sit and watch from under that very tree while I chattered and played in the dry leaves nearby. While I was crouching and con- templating the mysteries of my changing life, a little ginger cat came by and sat down in front of me. When I was younger I would never have al- lowed any other animal to come into my territory. I either chased it away or I caught it and showed it to Mom. I just looked at Ginger Girl and asked, “Where did you come from?” I was thinking I re- ally should carry her into the house and show her to Mom. Ginger Girl said she was from Canada and that her name was Daisy. Hmm. My sister’s name was Daisy. The world is changing. I guess I’m changing too. Maybe not all changes are all that bad. I de- cided to continue contemplating while Daisy chattered and played in the dry leaves around us. Purrs, Emma S Changes