Boo Boo

So one of my cats is old. She is 17, which translates into like, a jillion people years. When she stands up, she needs to collect her hips under her for a few seconds before she starts off. She walks in this kind of loping, swaying, jerky way. Watching her climb down stairs is like watching a Volkswagen Beetle go over speed bumps... She sleeps in the driveway when I am out, waiting for me to come home. She does not move from the driveway when I try and pull in, although she does wake up and stare at me with a critical eye. Only until I open the truck window and yell "Hello, Boo Boo!" to her she will condescend to move off the driveway and allow me to park. She still sometimes terrorizes the other cats in the house, but not so much as she used to. But, she is still the great defender against other interlopers that may wander onto our property, or heaven help them, try and come in the house through the pet door. She will solidly hold her ground and hiss and growl and posture until the stranger slinks away. She used to follow my son all over our neighborhood and even to the little park next door with us and go down the slide in his lap (her idea). She was his protector, too and she still insists on sleeping in his room - on his bed when it's cold and in her little bed on the floor next to his when it's warmer. She is a bit frail, lumpy where she once was sleek and frequently stands in the middle of a room not quite sure what she is doing there. She loses her patience with the young cat in the house, and complains when she doesn't get her way. She is the queen of the castle, and she and I seem to have more and more in common as the days goes by.