Photo: Blackie resting after playing in our living room.
The big change since my transition three years ago is that our dear friend Blackie is now an official member of the household. Although he was always a gentleman when he showed up for food, he was never too approachable. He had been badly mistreated by "humans" at times, so his wariness was understandable.

A couple of years ago, some rescue organization or person captured him, had him spayed, and then returned him to the neighborhood. Always a ruthless fighter when it came to other cats, this calmed his disposition quite a bit. That summer, he began sitting in mom's or dad's lap while they were out in the yard.

Eventually, he smoozed his way indoors and became dad's number one lap cat. Now they spend hours every day in a recliner, watching bird videos on YouTube, or just enjoying the warmth of each other's company.

Recently, my sister Panthor--whom we thought would never be a lap cat--began sitting in mom's lap in the evenings, which is very precious.