On Sunday 10th March 2024, my incredible, beloved, special girl, Mara, passed away peacefully and surrounded by love. She was 18 years old and a very loved, spoiled, treasured cat and companion. Her loving daddies, Jonathan (me) and Joshua, are heartbroken and missing life without her presence.

I got Mara from Battersea many, many years ago. It was a moment meant to be: a moment where I was chosen, and a moment of instant connection and clarity. This was MY cat, and she was coming home with me. And she's been with me for about 16 years, seeing me grow up from a child to an adult and sticking by me through all of life's hardships. What better way to remember her long life than to celebrate by raising money for Battersea - where I rescued her from, and where I will undoubtedly pick up my second special friend from in the future! Rescuing animals is very important, and it is an honour to be chosen by a cat or dog in need of a loving forever home.

One thing Mara had was a life of luxury. She was adored. I hope she is reincarnated as another loved house cat, because if she was reincarnated as a tiger or lion and had to run across the savannah to catch her food, I imagine her thought process would go something like this: "So you're telling me there are no humans to give me soft pâté, and if I don't like it, I can't simply turn my nose up and ask for another brand? Book me a plane ticket out of here - I'm better off in a zoo."

She's sampled the entire selection of the cat food aisle at Waitrose and her morning routine comprised mainly of yelling at me to bring her tasty snacks. Mara did not lift a finger, preferring to relax on the sofa watching reality TV after a hard day's work. If by 'work', you mean napping. You may be reading this and thinking that Mara was a poor elderly soul who lived with joint pain, or struggled to move because no doubt she was very overweight. "Let her rest, Jonathan!"

Absolutely not.

Yes, she was always a chunky girl, but was in fact quite healthy up until the end and could shift her little legs when it suited her. Until her dying day, she was still agile and nimble, and could jump up on counters, drawers, sofas, beds, and windowsills with perfect ease and even exert herself to catch the odd spider or two. She simply had no reason to, being waited on hand and foot.

Would she repay her keepers for this trouble? Of course she would: by taking up all of our pillows and/or bed when we tried to sleep, and looking affronted when we asked her to move an inch because our legs and necks were contorted into yogic positions to accommodate her.

It is for this reason, and the pun in the name, that I am doing what Mara would never do: put herself through any unnecessary suffering.The most I've run is a 5k (twice), a family race where I was overtaken by small children, but I want to channel my all-consuming grief and overwhelming love into something challenging, something new, and something productive. I have never, ever been a runner. But for Mara, I will.

By donating in memory of one of the most loved cats who has ever graced the arm of a sofa, you will be supporting Battersea's vital work and making the hardest year of my life a little better.

I start training for this Half Mara-thon (get it?) this week, the 11th March 2024. It will be a week where I struggle to get out of bed, to brush my teeth, to remember to eat food. But I will complete this. I will train harder than I ever have in my life. And come October, perhaps the Mara-shaped hole in my soul will have slightly softer edges.

Thank you for helping me to remember my girl, and for your kind donation, share, or prayer.

In memory of Mara. You are so, so loved.

#TeamMara