A truly horrendous and tearful start to the day when Chris phoned with the news that he found Wilson in the courtyard this morning dead from poisoning and I am sill finding it almost impossible to believe that I shan’t ever again see or make a fuss of that beautiful, intelligent and affectionate animal needlessly cut off in his prime. That is the third death in just a few weeks. Puccini was expected because of her cancer, Hortense because of old age but Wilson has come as an awful shock.

Someone has been putting down poison for the animals, the excuse being to get rid of dogs that maul sheep but what dogs? Judith complained a month or so ago at the town hall only to be told that that is how it is done in Crete (in the whole of Greece for that matter) and if she didn’t like it she could always leave, neglecting the fact that the poisoning of animals is against Greek law.

It’s amazing how unobservant one can be. There were a number of cats at the bottom of our lane but I haven’t seen one in a while. Until this moment it never occurred to me as to why they have all disappeared.

The question now is what do we do with the three we have left? I suppose the answer is to keep them in the house but that seems so very unfair. Cats roam; It is unnatural to stop them.

Evidently it is known who this vile creature is who is doing the poisoning but it is a case of Cretan omerta. No one will talk.

It will be a long time before I no longer see in my mind’s eye Wilson’s face, especially those eyes, before I forget his loud greeting me in the mornings as soon as I appeared at my bedroom door, or how he would rub himself against me purring for all he was worth. A much loved cat will be sorely missed.