Helen took Saffy (originally named Saffron) over from a neighbour who was leaving Canberra. A mackerel tabby and a model pet, Saffy didn't go looking for punchups, ate whatever was put in front of her, talked quite a bit, loved people, and had one pink toe. When H was living in Reid, Saffy was a home-loving cat who didn't venture beyond the patio, although she'd perch at the very end of the patio wall to say goodbye. She was a faithful companion to Helen during the worst days of her illness.
Saffy moved to Melbourne with Helen at the start of 2001, but life in a tiny top-floor flat, with H out at rehearsals much of the time, made Saffy miserable. After a very difficult year, she flew back to Canberra with Helen at Christmas. Saffy was seriously unimpressed by the plane flight and refused to talk for days. She moved in with Adam and Kat but, later in 2002, they moved to a house with a dog. That's how Saffy came to live here.
Puzzle & Puss never adjusted to Saffy's presence. For the first month, it was impossible to feed the three of them together - Puss refused to eat at all, and Puzzle started punchups. Eventually Saffy solved the problem by staying up on my tray table for meals. Her only territory consisted of high points round the house. She came down to clear up the leftovers after bolting her own meals, and at first emerged circumspectly but often in search of people to sit on.
No matter what we did (and we did a fair bit, including consulting animal behaviourists) the other cats wouldn't leave her in peace. It makes me too sad to think of the end of Saffy's life so I'm going to leave it at that. She's remembered with love and sorrow.
This page created 15 March 2000; last updated 16 December 2007