'Miss March'

I don't know about you, but Chloe and I are going to continue with the month of March for the rest of 2012!

We are choosing to have a permanent spring that will persist happily throughout the summer and autumn. After all, how could we possibly turn the calendar over to April and watch Chloe disappear?

By a perfect stroke of unintentional timing, Chloe became the Bengal Cat Club calendar's 'Miss March' three days after her second birthday. For me, even more surprising than her appearance on the calendar is the realisation that Chloe, my recently-arrived kitten, has reached the mature age of two.

Where have those two years gone?

True, in going they've taken with them three broken vases, a silenced answering machine, four decapitated ornaments, a bottomless kitchen drawer, a car key, a knackered clothes-horse and a punctured hot-water-bottle . . . not to mention innumerable other best-forgotten treasures.

But look at what those two years have given me in exchange.

An enchanting (if exhausting!) companion, love, laughter and constant entertainment.

There's not the slightest doubt that the scales are tilted in my favour.

Looking back at the early photos, it seems impossible that she was once so small and vulnerable . . . so eager to learn . . . so keen to explore her exciting new world.

Somewhere along the line, at a moment when I may have been distracted by the less beguiling aspects of life, my adorable, irrepressible, wriggling kitten metamorphosed into a mature cat. A cat who, in breaking out of her kitten's chrysalis, has achieved the impossible by gaining in charm, beauty and intelligence.

True, she is still irrepressible . . . although there are now stronger motivations for her antics. True, she still wriggles . . . although nowadays those wriggles quickly transform into cuddles. But these are all endearing facets of her loving and loveable nature, and surely no cat could be more captivating than Chloe.

In the centre of my living-room carpet sits an over-flowing toy-basket. The number of toys is a reflection of the kindness of Chloe's numerous friends and admirers. She has no need of toys from me.

So what can I can give her on this auspicious occasion?

A boisterous game with her favourite toy . . . an extra cuddle . . . a special breakfast? She deserves all of that. But, most of all, I need to give her a heart-felt 'thank you' for the infectious joy she's bestowed on all who've known her in the past two years.

"Happy Birthday . . . and thank you, Chloe!"