A frail old lady lives alone. This is what she wrote.
The district nurses thought she should not allow the cats in - they might trip her and then she'd fall. Or maybe they'd scratch her, and then there would be weeks for that old, frail skin to heal.
Others thought her foolish for spending money on catfood when it was only strays that she befriended. And besides, she fed them too much, so they became too fat.
And I thought her foolish because she conscientiously scrubbed each empty can clean for recycling, when her skin could be so easily torn by the jagged edges.
But those cats were very important to her. She has none now. She is in what they call a 'hostel' - what is really a nursing home, but a lot nicer, and for not so high-care patients. Even though it has been widely recogised that cats and dogs make lonely people happier, there is a rule against them. But she does have people around her, and she is looked after. Just that it would be nice if there were a few cats around.
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