Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamed of owning an orange cat called Archibald!
Cheesy I know – but also true! When I was about thirteen I decided that I was destined to meet and fall in love with a beautiful orange cat whom I would name Archibald. Cats had always been an important part of my life – I am an only child but I had always had a feline sibling – at thirteen the beautiful Gyzmo was my brother. Somehow I knew I would meet Archibald as an adult and that he would be “MY” cat rather than someone my parents looked after for me.
Long before the real Archibald ever existed I both collected and created artwork of my future love. I do realise that most teenage girls start to have these “life path” fantasies about other humans – perhaps dreaming of partners and weddings – but as you will see if you continue to read these pages my brain has always been wired for cats first and everything else second! My teen years were the beginning of my now all-consuming collection of felines (real and decorative). After university I left home, bought a house and not long after adopted my first cat Soho (you’ll meet her soon). Three months later on a very random, impromptu visit to Heavy Petting in Sydney I found him. I knew straight away that it was him – a ginger, mischievous, adorable cornish rex kitten.
I’m actually not a big believer in fate, not that much of a romantic or a dreamer. When it comes to my human friends and family I generally believe that relationships are a choice we make that need to be tended, nurtured and worked at in order to succeed. But Archie melted my heart since the first day I saw him. He has been by my side – my best friend – through marriage, career change, divorce, remarriage, through dark times of great loss and through many, many moments of pure joy. He is my great love (my husband is OK with that!) – and while I know some people scoff at relationships of this depth with furry friends I also trust that many of you reading this will completely understand just how much space a pet can fill in your heart and in your life. He is a very faithful sidekick (although I reckon he is pretty sure that I am his sidekick) – one of those cats with a smile on his face and a determination to be the centre of attention 24/7. He is my inspiration, my mentor and my boss and as you read this you can be sure he is by my side. Probably like this:
You may be wondering why this blog is called “Small World”. Well Archie started out a tiny kitten with a massive dominate personality and quite a few health problems. As he was slow to grow at first we nicknamed him ArchieSmall, however calling him by his first name seemed disrespectful given his commanding presence, so he became Mr Small. Since then the word “Small” has always been deeply connected to our special relationship. It’s especially fitting given that I’m only 5′ tall myself! I’ve used the “Small” brand for several ventures in my life including my day job – my own consulting business Small Solutions. Archie continues to dominate the running of our little home, our busy lives and his feline companions – Soho, Atticus and Sam (all of whom you will meet in due course).
You’ll read many more anecdotes from Archie’s life here over time – he has many tails to tell. But for now please know that both he and I thank you sincerely for stopping by and taking the time to say hello in this busy world. We hope you will enjoy the rest of what we bring you on our journey together from here!
