A Cat That Knew How to Love Well

May 2004

My heart flutters as I consider the small creature in the box next to me in the car. I've never had a furry friend to call my own. Technically, I'm not allowed to have this one in my apartment either. As a rule follower this was nagging at me.

I carry the covered box up to the third floor and carefully enter my 1970s unit, complete with orange/brown shag carpet and exposed wood beams. This has been home for the last year and a half. In a few days I would be moving in with my future husband. Hopefully he would accept my new feline friend.

The cat meows at me and I wonder what she needs. I don't have food or any supplies to care for this animal. A co-worker simply brought her to work today and offered her to me. How could I say no?

I put the 8-week old kitten in the bedroom closet. My man should be over any minute with some milk I asked him to pick up. He doesn't know about the cat yet. What will he think when I tell him I want to bring her to his house since she can't live with me?

I turn on some music to drown out the cat's meows.

A knock sounds at the door. I give an enthusiastic greeting, but apparently my face gives away my emotions. Something is different and my man knows it. I hear distant meowing noises in the background and I suggest he turns up the music. His quizzical expression is hard to resist.

I spill the beans.

He walks to the closet and finds a small gray tabby staring up at his six-foot frame which is dressed in dark blue and covered with grease. The kitten meows at him loudly and he picks her up and examines the situation.

"This isn't how you take care of a cat." He looked at me in disapproval.

"I just got her today. I thought maybe my sister would want her." But I secretly hoped we could keep her.

He looked at me like he didn't believe me. "She can't stay here like this."

"Can we keep her...? At your townhouse?" I'm sure my puppy-dog eyes weren't nearly as effective as I was hoping they would be.

There is a long stretch of silence. My mind races. What am I going to do if he says no?

The cat is back on the floor wandering around the apartment now. My beau looks like he is deep in thought.

"I suppose we can take her to my place," he says somewhat skeptical.

I jump up and down in delight. My first furry animal. I'm so excited.

"Hold on just a second. We need to get her food and a litter box right away."

"Okay," the smile on my face must be from ear to ear.

He rolls his eyes at me. "Let's go you," he turns back to the cat. "We'll be back."

And so began our sixteen year journey with a very unique creature that has loved us no matter what. She has endured the tumultuous years of raising special needs children. She was great with our kids. She has moved with us four different times. She came when you whistled Dixie. She sang to us. She got into mischief and was always wanting to lay on a lap. In her later years, she lost the ability to jump so we built her a ramp to get on our bed. That was her favorite place.

She always wanted to be close to us - to be a part of the action.

A couple nights ago she got to explore in our front yard for the first time, since we always kept her indoors. We knew her time was coming to an end. Her mind was not as sharp anymore and her body just didn't want to cooperate. Regardless, she loved well to the end.

Today she rests in peace after her many years of service to us. We will miss her.