We gave Scout, a girl kitten, to our girl Julia last Christmas. Many of you know Julia spent the first semester of her freshman year in and out of hospitals and away from school with a yet-to-be-diagnosed illness. By the time Christmas neared, she was doing better, but still not 100%. A girl who always-always loved animals, we made the decision to get her a kitten. This is Julia when she first met Scout.

They formed an amazing bond, even though our other cat, Madeline, never lost her grudge. She still hisses at Scout. But Scout and our golden retriever, Pippin, have become friends, and Scout has taken our hearts. She was nearly hit by a car a few weeks ago, so we keep her inside, safe.

Except that I have this ledge on the second floor that overlooks my office. Scout often paces up there. We’ve joked and told her she had much to live for, only to have her jump down to the safety of the upstairs room.

Except that yesterday she lost her footing, then fell two stories to hit her hip on the wood part of the chair in my office. Immediately we knew something was wrong.

We took her to the vet to hear that she had broken her hip and needed surgery. Heavy sigh. Tears in Julia’s eyes. Pain in Scout’s.

She went under the knife yesterday afternoon, and we picked her up later that day. She is in pain. She limps (of course). She spent the night hiding under our bed. We didn’t have the heart to move her.

We’re hoping for a good outcome. She is a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the journey we walked last year with Julia. I can’t tell you WHY I love that cat, but I do. Sweetly. In a small and big way, she is grace to us.