Let us praise Citrus while also acknowledging his defects
For he is big and beautiful
For he speaks when spoken to
For he speaks at other times too
For he is occasionally playful in his advanced adulthood thereby calling to mind his frequently playful infancy
For he is intelligent and demonstrative
For he indicates the food he likes
For he bites Marian’s ankle to express his wants
For he received his charming name from Lydia
For he does not object when called a dumbass
For he is a fiend murderous of moles chipmunks lizards rats and alas birds
For he is the beneficiary of irrational indulgence
For he is often in his affectionate nature underfoot notably upon the perilous stairs
For he damages the furnishings
For he flees sneezes
For he was the chosen of two brothers Abel to Cain Jacob to Esau Isaac to Ishmael
For he has survived thus far in a threatening world of coyotes
For he sets up with gravity which is patience upon approbation in imitation of his great feline predecessors
For his personality is distinct from that of Bunbury Thammuz or Yellow Melissande
For he is obese and unashamed
For his motives are mysterious as of the lashing of his tail
For he has seduced his master into death-defying feats
For he exerts a therapeutic influence upon children and others