Lychee's Third Birthday on Koh Samui

Lychee turned three in March, and I spent more time planning her birthday than I did planning my own. She is a domestic shorthair with a tabby coat and one white paw, and she has never once cared about a party. Still, I wanted to mark the day, so I kept it simple.

The practical part first. I bought a tin of wet food from the supermarket in Chaweng and a small tub of cat treats that does not contain much salt or sugar. I skipped the cake. Cats do not need birthday frosting, and the vet has told me more than once to watch her weight, so the only sweet thing was a single lick of plain tuna.

We ate lunch on the balcony, where the breeze is good in the afternoon. Lychee sat on the railing and watched the boats in the bay, which she seems to find more interesting than any toy. Around four she came inside, knocked a hair tie off the table, and chased it across the tiles for ten minutes. That was her birthday present to herself.

Honestly, a good birthday for a cat is a calm day, a clean litter tray, and nobody moving the furniture. I now do this every March, and she tolerates it more each year.