Chardonnay and the Grafmyres: Furry Friends Fur-Ever

“While Karen and I have always had cats and dogs in our lives, no cat made as a dramatic an entrance as Chardonnay (formerly Corrine),” says Jim. “I met her at the shelter where I was doing repairs in the Blue room. Small and affectionate, she chose me as her ‘plaything’ and climbed all over me, purring and rubbing up against me as if we were best friends! And I was especially struck by her enthusiasm and sweetness.

“Needless to say, we adopted her. Renamed to coordinate with our other pets’ names, kitties Bacchus and Viognier  and canine, Merlot, Chardonnay’s arrival received mixed reactions. Merlot basically ignored her, easygoing Bacchus accepted her relatively quickly, while Viognier hissed and sulked for weeks. Eventually, though, Viognier conceded that Chardonnay was here to stay, and they now co-exist peacefully.

“Chardonnay’s habits both delight and exasperate us. At night, she plays her favorite game, ‘attack our feet,’ turning our sleeping toes into pouncing targets. Not much of a lap cat, she loves when I hold her. In the morning, she waits on a chair, meowing insistently until she can either climb up into my arms or be picked up. When she’s feeling mischievous, she plays her second favorite game, ‘knock everything onto the floor,’ patiently batting items off my desk until they disappear under the sofa. 

“Like most cats, Chardonnay sleeps anywhere she wants: sometimes in our bed, sometimes on a chair, sometimes in one of her own beds. To say that she holds an extra special place in my heart is putting it mildly. Every time she climbs onto me or looks up with that bright, loving expression, I can’t help but smile, grateful that a day of repairs in the Blue room led to a lifetime companion.”

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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.