Lila-Pearl has always loved cats and Mark and I promised to get her a kitten at the end of the Summer holidays. Mark died on the first day of the Summer holidays and I felt I had to keep to our promise. It was such a terribly painful and emotional time and I wasn't sure of the best way to go about getting a cat, having never owned one before. Lila-Pearl had gone back to school and I had just started back at work and so on top of that it all seemed very overwhelming. I was recommended Celia Hammond animal rescue trust so I contacted them. They sent someone around straight away to make sure we were suitable to adopt a cat. By the weekend we had 10 month old Mittens, originally named Xena. Lila-Pearl knew this was the cat she wanted. We changed her name to Mittens but it seemed she still had some Xena Princess Warrior in her. She wouldn't let us near her at first and would bite and scratch. It was clear that Mittens hadn't had a great start in life. Gaining her trust was emotionally tough for all of us, but now Mittens has settled in she is a total softy and we love her very much. I feel we have all helped each other in so many ways...
A painting for Lila-Pearl 'Mittens' (2016) 11.5" x 16.5" Oil and acrylic on canvas.
