I was a young rookie on the police force.
We had received a call of a possible “break in” at a used car lot.
The burglar was a female cat that had been dumped there
a few days ago.
The irritated owner said that was it.
This cat was going to the Humane Society.
For some reason I fell in love with the cat and said I’d be
glad to take her.
I named her Sugar cause of her sweet personality.
She wandered the neighborhood and came home pregnant.
And she gave me the most precious gift…
my little buddy I named Junior.
Junior was a hefty little kitten.
He had the biggest green eyes I had ever seen and he
and I bonded immediately.
I carried him around with me in my shirt pocket
and I loved playing games with him.
He grew into an enormous cat!
Weighing in at one time nearly 22 lbs.!!
After Sugar passed away Junior and I became even closer.
He was always at the door to greet me.
He wouldn’t let me read the newspaper or a magazine.
He would paw at the paper until I put it away.
We loved watching Tv and hanging out on the couch
eating “snacks”.
And although I don’t have much of a voice he would curl up
on my chest and I would sing him Beatle songs
and he would lay down and go to sleep each time.
He would follow me from room to room and
he NEVER left my side.
My friends loved him too. He would get treats and toys from them.
And he was well known with my co workers and all the neighbors.
He was a part of our family and we all treated him as such.
His birthday was celebrated each year and he would always receive
cards from people we had known in our past.
On March 14 1998 I came home to find my house on fire.
My first thought was of Junior and my other cat Nik.
Terrified I ran into the house and found Nik right away.
Junior was down the hall meowing at the top of his lungs.
I grabbed them both and ran outside…grateful to God for helping me
rescue them and us all three getting out alive.
But Junior’s health was never the same. Nik recovered ok.
But Junior started having thyroid problems which led to kidney disease.
I did everything I could to help him stay alive.
Thyroid medicine every morning and steroids to keep weight on him.
And I knew his age was catching up with him.
On August 4 2000 he passed away in his sleep.
Had he lived til November he would have been
18 years old.
I think when he drew his last breath I actually heard my heart break.
I knew I had lost a very good friend and I knew he loved me so much.
I know he stayed alive as long as he could for me.
He was a gift from God and I’m just thankful that I had him as long
as I did in my life. He got me through some rough times
and some joyous times.
He will forever be “My Little Buddy” and no one will ever take his
place in my heart.
I had him cremated and he is in an antique wooden box along
with a can of his favorite food and his blanket.
I keep the box in sight so everyday I think of him and pray that God
has him in his care.
And I hope when my life on earth ends
Junior will greet me at the door of heaven
and I’ll sing him Beatle songs and we’ll watch TV together
and it will be just like it was before….
Jamie
| Jamie |