Victoria Hugo-Vidal’s sweet column on her beloved cat Persephone (June 14) triggered some memories of a cat I once knew and loved when living in a hovel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  

I shared a floor with two other women, and we each had our own room. One woman had a cat named Longfellow, and I was extremely allergic to cats at the time. (Two earlier trips to the ER because of close proximity to them indicated how serious the problem was.)

Something magical seemed to happen with Longfellow, as I was never allergic to him. He would often venture into my room and nap on my mattress, which was on the floor.  

I always attributed that to my pure love of Longfellow, as strange as that may seem. He also possessed the doglike quality of friendliness that is sometimes missing in cats, so I truly bonded with him. And in the years that have followed, I have not been overly allergic to cats.

Thanks to Hugo-Vidal for sharing her memory of Persephone. 

Barbara Doughty
Portland