I'd like to tell a happy story with a sad ending – about a magnificent cat named Milko, whom we always called simply "Darling." He's a European shorthair, but with a touch of wildcat in him. This is especially evident in his long ears.
He had a very willful nature, but on the other hand, he was also kind. If he wanted something, he wouldn't rest until he got it. At first, he'd just meow, then scream, and when that didn't work, he'd come up and try to kiss you.
He was quite the robber – he would climb into a bag carelessly left on the floor after unpacking groceries:
This will fit into a floor cleaning bucket:
Or he would just sprawl out on the computer desk (he did this often, which led me to conclude that the boy loved to work):
He loved to sleep most of all on a bean bag chair, which eventually became his property, and with an old fleece robe placed over the rough fabric:
And one day he climbed into an already empty (it was only necessary to pour out the rest) box from under the filler:
Well, here he is just relaxing:
He was a wonderful cat who, even after being neutered, didn't gain weight because he was so active. There's a funny story: one spring, when he was about five months old, we went to the shore of the Sea of Azov. The beach was still empty, so the only people there were local dogs, and quite large ones at that.
We were taking our cat to the veterinary clinic that day, and it was a five-minute walk from the sea, so we decided to stop in. At first, I was afraid the dogs would attack us, BUT!!! Our Darling broke free and ran toward them. The dogs scattered and didn't even try to approach him again. He inherited this trait from wildcats, because only they are so bold and aggressive.
Unfortunately, in 2022, our Milko died during the shelling of Mariupol, but his memory will live on for a very long time...