Black and white, no gray area, no middle ground, absolutely, clearly, obviously, no further debate necessary — I adore him. He turns nine months old today, and spent the morning sleeping on my pillows in the big bed.

A white patch marks his third eye, the freckle on his left cheek makes him look like he’s always smiling, there are raccoon stripes and a white tip on his tail, a black dot on each toe, one big spot of pure black on his back, and the spots on his back and shoulders look like a riot of stars.