We've got two cats now. The first one, Kosya Kos'kin, is black and blind and is nearly 13 years old. He's been blind since we found him at the crowded subway station in summer 1992 - a tiny kitten, his claws were painted red then, and he ate nothing but raw potato for the first few months. Even though he doesn't see a thing, his eyes are beautiful and he moves around quite easily. He's a very precious cat.

The other cat had been crying in our backyard for about three days, until we took pity and brought him home. Initially, we thought he was a girl and would make a nice mate for Kosya, but he turned out to be a boy. So now we have a problem. He is a totally charming cat, beautiful - black and furry and yellow-eyed - and very friendly and funny. He knows how to use the cat's toilet. Very smart, very young. Whoever lost him must be very brokenhearted now. But Kosya is depressed. He can't see him but he smells him, and he gets cranky all the time and refuses to eat. He stopped purring, too, and is very tense. I really hope we'll find a new home for this young cat soon. I wish he could stay - but it'd be too traumatic for Kosya.