Don't take things for granted.

I've had a kitty in my life for the last 11 years of my life. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, ins and outs of the roller coaster of life he has been a constant comforting presence. I will put his story here because he is staying with my sister until I can bring him here to Australia. I miss him so much. I'm constantly dreaming about him and feeling his presence near me even though he is safe in the states with my sister.

Around 12-13 years ago my father wanted a kitten for Father's Day. He has always been a cat man though he rarely got to have one as my mother is more of a dog person. I've always had dogs in my life but rarely got to have a cat or keep a cat I should say. I've had several cats but they rarely lasted more then a couple years and tended to be given away or run away or were killed.

My mother decided to give into my fathers wants and let him pick a kitten up from the local shelter. He chose this lovely long haired white cat with gray patches around her one ear on her body and tail. She was lovely and tiny. I can't remember what my father called her though.

Back then my father use to play a computer game called Majesty and would spend a lot of time on the computer. My father wears a ball cap a lot of the time and this kitten would curl up on the brim of the hat and sleep while he played Majesty. She was that tiny. When she got to big for the cap she would drape herself across his shoulders with her head nestled into his neck. She was such a lovey and lovely kitty and went everywhere my father was.

When she was 9-10 months old she went through her first heat phase then again when she was a year old. My mother had made an appointment for her to be fixed but we never got that far. One of my nephews broke one of the downstairs windows and before we could get it blocked off she got out. When she came back a few days later we knew she was going have kittens. She had bites on her ears and neck those were the first things we noticed.

A little while later my baby was born along with his two sisters. The sisters were beautiful gray calico's with the same faces and colored eyes as the mama though they were short haired. Smoky Joe was the only long haired one, just like his mama. he was solid gray when he was born but as he grew up the white started to come in on his feet, belly, and chest. He was the runt of the litter and we thought we were going to lose him when a couple times. He wouldn't eat food like the other kittens when weening time came around. It took us a few different attempts before we found a food he liked. Purina Kitten Chow was the clincher for him, he loved it.

When I took him home finally he was 8 weeks old but he was the size of a 4 week old kitten, so tiny and fragile looking. Now he is almost 20lbs. He is my big baby, but I can't imagine life without him.

When he was tiny he would sleep on my hip at night and on my feet during the day when I was at home. He played a lot with the toys we got him but he refused to sleep in his kitty bed, the kitty bed was for playing in not sleeping in. He slept with his people.

I use to work at a convience store when he was little and I was a soda addict. I had a refillable mug that I use to take to work and bring home with soda in it and a long straw. He developed a straw fetish before long. He would still them out of my cup and run off with them. I would find them chewed up where ever he had taken them that day.

I remember one time we were playing. I had my hand under the blanket and he was clawing the blanket itself trying to get my hand. My fingers got to close to the edge and he ended up clawing my hand really badly and his claws got stuck. It hurt a lot and my reaction was ouch ouch, cry a little, clean up the blood. After that he would play with me but he wouldn't unsheathhis claws when we played. He was scared of hurting me again. Even now he doesn't use claws when we play. Though being the older fellow that he is now he is a very lazy player and generally doesn't go after anything that is out of paw range.

He knows what he wants and will bug me till he gets it. If his water or food bowls are empty he will lead me to them and wait for me to fill them then head but my leg and eat or drink. He use to be an in door/out door kitty but the pasty couple years has reverted to indoors. I don't want anything to happen to him so I started keeping him in. Now he has no interest in outside.

For the past 11 years or so he has been a constant presence in my life, a constant comfort. When I went through the 3 surgeries that I've gone through he would curl up against my belly if it wouldn't hurt me and just purr till I felt better. He is a good baby and I miss him dearly. Life has been really hard without him in it, and though I know he will be with me again soon, it doesn't stop me from missisng him.