The 10 Great Things About My Cat

1. He talked to me. When I was on the phone with someone Friday, he started talking to me thinking I was talking to him.
2. If he shed, you couldn’t tell because of all of the white cat’s fur.
3. His voice. He kinda creaked when he talked. I swear he was a nonsmoker.
4. Kisses. No, you sicko, I don’t actually kiss the cat, but he did like to sniff at my mouth, which is the closest thing you can get to a kiss from a cat. And no, I don’t eat a lot of fish and yes, I brush my teeth.
5. Belly rubs. There’s that moment when you’re petting him where you can tell he thinks, “You know that would feel great on my tummy.” As he slowly exposes his belly. He loved his underarm scratched.
6. He followed me around. Even hobbling on three feet, he wandered around the house with me. He even climbed the stairs when I took too long up there. He had an infection on his front paw which he didn’t put weight on and a tumor on his rear leg bone. Walking wasn’t easy.
7. He wasn’t easy. Unlike the other cats who would love anyone who came through the door, he had to determine if you were really worth the effort.
8. He purred loud enough you could hear it across the room. Just having me close by was enough to set his motor running. He purred the entire first night of having me home.
9. Best Fly/Bee Killer ever. My old apartment used to get bees and he would track them and finally eat them. Our bumbling younger cat would get in his way though.
10. They called him Mellow Yellow. Quite rightly. He was a calm soul who went about his business. When they were younger the older two would get into Samari fights. They would sit back on their haunches and fight with their front paws. Everyone loved a game of chase every now and then, but for the most part, he was content if he had a clean litter box, a bowl full of food, and the back of a couch.

He was a great cat. There will never be another quite like him. Rest in peace, my friend.

August 1995 to July 2007