Meow, there. It’s Harry. I hate to write this column after all this time with bad news, but I’m afraid I have no choice. I’m a black cat, after all. However, I was lucky that I was adopted, along with my sister, by Debbie and her family three years ago.

The bad news I have to share involves my older brother, Stripey. While we weren’t from the same litter, like me and Hermione, he was a pretty nice guy. We weren’t exactly friends, but we hung out a lot. Debbie referred to us as “the boys.” Now I’m the only boy cat left because Stripey has taken that trip to Rainbow Bridge. He was 14, so much older than me and my sis, but time goes quick. That’s why I’m trying to enjoy my youth as long as I can.

Here’ are two photos of us hanging out together like cat buds. They were taken some time ago. Stripey started losing weight. They thought it was thyroid, but it turned out to be the Big C. Poor boy. I miss him.

And here is a photo of the three of us when we first got together.

The other bad news is that, right after I noticed Stripey was gone, my humans started sneezing and coughing, and I heard them say they had COVID. I don’t know too much about that disease, but I always saw them wearing masks when they went out, so I don’t know how they caught it. While Debbie was in bed with fevers, me and Hermione did our best to keep her company and make her feel better.

I hate to be the bearer of so much bad news, but I also have some good news. Debbie published her new cozy, The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady, which is the first of the new Buttercup Bend series, and I took a peek at her notes for the next book and see that me, Hermione, and even Stripey will be characters in it.

Here’s the purr-chase link: mybook.to/cclady

Please consider buying a copy. I give it 5 meows.

Debbie is also publishing two other books soon. One is a collection of Cobble Cove stories called Sneaky’s Supernatural Mystery and Other Cobble Cove Stories.. She’s also reprinting PET POSTS: The Cat Chats with a new cover and new edits. This book will be called Memories and Meows. It also features me, Hermione, and Stripey as well as our predecessors Floppy, Holly, and Oliver..
That’s it for meow, but I’m sure my sister will post a tribute to our friend, Stripey, soon.