When we lived in Germany, Maja elected to be an indoor cat. She'd go outdoors briefly, if I stood nearby, where she'd crouch under a hedge and maybe sniff around a little. Wind scared her. Traffic noises terrified her.

She was an indoor kitty used to toys from the pet shop and had little enthusiasm for nature. Most of our excursions to the garden lasted about 15 minutes. If I heard the telephone and tried to dash inside, Maja would be right at my heels. She made it clear her territory was our apartment.

My husband and I were somewhat nervous about how our elderly Maja might react to our move to Greece. (You can read about her flight experience here.)

The remote island we'd picked out was not only dry and dusty, but extremely windy. How would Maja like Karpathos?

There was a delay in our getting the keys to the house we'd bought, so the three of us had to check into a hotel temporarily. It was a few overnights, as I recall. As soon as we found the right person with our house keys, we moved in. Maja was very interested in what surrounded the house - the old stone walls, the garden beds, the almond trees and the courtyard.

First she surprised us by climbing a tree. Never had we seen that. Maja was 12 or 13 years old at the time! Days later, she wanted outside again – to have a walk around the garden beds. Incredibly, she started sleeping on a wooden bench right outside our front door (the strays out there, of course, wanted the comfort of sleeping inside).

My husband and I considered ourselves cat-savvy, but Maja surprised us. Again and again. She seemed comfortable in her new surroundings. It was warmer than Germany and there were no traffic sounds. Everything suited her.

When Maja was nearing 14, she caught her first mouse. She presented it right on our dining room table, on Alf's place mat. A token gift. An endearment. A thank you. Dog people don't get many mice as gifts, do they?

Q: Have you ever moved with your cat?