Old Dorothy The Cat Poem by Francis Duggan

Old Dorothy the cat is getting weary
And she is not as nimble as she used to be
And catching mice has never felt such hard work
And she finds it harder now to climb a tree.

There was a time when she could run much faster
And there was a time when she could hunt all day
But now she feels happy to lay on the sofa
And doze and purr and sleep the hours away.

Old Dorothy she greets me with a miaow
It's been said that cats have a good memory
With arched back and cocked tail against my pants she starts
brushing
Perhaps she wish to leave her scent on me.

A tortoise shell cat old Dorothy looks pretty
Though she looked prettier a few years ago
At least in one way cats are similar to humans
The years on them begin to quickly show.

Old Dorothy the cat is ageing quickly
You might say she has known a better day
Her balance and reflexes were much better
And her whiskers now are showing their years in gray.