Tigger by Molly / Love,

Mom

I just had to put my beloved cat to sleep last night, and it’s as if I’ve lost my mom all over again. I adopted Tigger in September 1997 and my vet guessed at his age to be about 10 (he’s been mostly an alley cat his whole life). I didn’t even want him at first, as I had just lost my mom to a sudden death the year before and just didn’t want to have to learn to care about something else. However, I knew that he had a slim chance of having a home at such an old age, so I took him in.

That fall day back in 1997 completely changed my life for the better. People too often say that I saved his life, but the truth of the matter is that he saved my soul. It was through loving and caring for Tigger that I learned that my spirit wasn’t completely dead, and that I really could love again. I’ve come to learn that love really is the meaning of life. We all need to love something or someone to give us a purpose to want to start the day. Tigger has been my rock…weathering all my relationships, job changes, moves, and the traumatic years following my mother’s untimely death.

Tigger has been a part of my life for close to 7 years, and I can’t even begin to imagine how empty my life would have been without him. I am so terribly sad and will be for quite a while, but I am also grateful that he was given to me. Tigger and I were a a very good team.