2024: The Year The Cat Distribution System Found Me

Once upon a New Year’s Eve, infused with a libation or three, I had a cherished ‘turning of the calendar’ tradition:

Reflecting on the year gone by, and boldly charting the next.

(Groundbreaking and novel, right?)

Somewhere along the line, I let this practice fall away—which is a shame, for I always enjoyed what would come to mind when whimsically reflecting and plotting.

So today, please indulge me as I recapture some of that old New Year’s magic.

Reflecting on 2024, the first thing that comes to mind is cats—which I’d never have predicted had you asked me one year ago what 2024 would have in store.

A mere 12 months ago, I was new to the realization that after a lifetime of being surrounded by dogs, hey, I feel quite an affinity for them mysterious felines.

Even so, I had no plans or intention of indulging that affinity.

But then Katsu showed up—an indoor-outdoor cat who splits her time between my home and a neighbour’s—enchanting me at first sight, only to stop coming around after I left town for too long in her royal-and-aggrieved opinion.

Katsu was a wonderful, low-pressure, non-committal entry point into being a cat’s patron, and the time we spent together inspired me to adopt Yuki, who now rules The Cabin from the uppermost tower of her plush grey cat tree.

Then, seemingly deciding that 3.5 months was long enough punishment for daring to go away, Katsu reappeared out of the blue in the middle of one September night.

Alongside Katsu and Yuki’s twistings and turnings, no less than 4 other cats began making semi-regular appearances in the garden, I kept running into cats when out in the world, and my laptop has slowly gained a sheen of amusing and pretty cat stickers.

Clearly, the Cat Distribution System (CDS) struck.

(If you're unfamiliar, apparently there’s an invisible mechanism in the universe which, without warning, delivers cats to people who never planned on having them.)

In truth, the CDS has brought a lovely, meaningful, fulfilling sea change to my life.

Offering Katsu the shelter, food, connection, and medical care that she doesn’t receive at her other home has been heartwarming—as was rescuing Yuki from the shelter, confident in the fact that she’s become one happy, healthy cat.

2024 brought many twists and turns, ups and downs in business, in relationship, and in health—but for all the challenges, the kitty cats have been a wonderful balm.

As for 2025…

I’ll dig into those musings in Friday’s Whimsie :)

Happy New Year.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander

(AKA: Wiz, WOW, and The Wizard of Wordcraft)

P.S. The inaugural round of The Magic of Wordcraft kicks off on the 6th.

If you feel called to join, I’d love to have you. Any questions, hit ‘reply’.