The last 10 years have been a very memorable part of my life because I had a very special friend who accompanied me during all these years. Whether it was happy times, or sad times, or times of extreme hardship, he was always there by my side, through both tears and laughter. This special someone is my beloved cat, Tommy.
Tommy was only 4 weeks old when we found him in the middle of winter in one of the storage rooms of our restaurant. We found him with his mother and his 6 sisters and brothers in the middle of winter. Although it still remains a mystery how they had snuck into the restaurant, everyone at the restaurant adored them and even my father had fallen in love with them. We took them home and at that time, Tommy was only a wee-little kitten, but he already touched the hearts of us all with his charming little face, especially my father who picked him out of the seven kittens to keep.
Tommy was an extremely special and extraordinary cat because he acted like a human 99% of the time. The only part of him that denied him from being one was his furry, fluffy coat and a massive maine which he took great pride in showing off. He was the most majestic and handsome guy, but he had the softest heart anyone could imagine for a cat. Instead of allying himself with other felines, he befriended smaller little creatures such as hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Although he was much bigger than them, he was always very gentle and careful not to hurt them. I still remember how he use to pretend he was a rabbit or guinea pig by eating their hay and sleeping in their cages.
Probably his favorite part of the house was the kitchen because that was where he kept me company when I studied, watched my mom when she cooked, and attempted to eat what we ate. There were so many times when he tried to grab the food off our chopsticks and although this was very naughty feline behaviour, none of us ever had the heart to scold him.
Probably Tommy's most humanly quality was his ability to talk. I remember we would have actual 'conversations' and from his eyes, I knew he understood what I was saying. Tommy also had a signature pose which only he was able to do, and that was sitting like a human.
As humanly and strong as Tommy was, a terrible illness had befallen him. He was diagnosed 2 months ago with a rare form of lymphoid leukemia which cannot be treated successfully in cats. During the last two months, he had deteoriated very quickly to the point where we had no choice but to say good-bye. It was a very difficult decision but we could not stand seeing him suffer any longer so we had to act on his behalf.
On November 25, 2:45pm, Dr. Thomas from The Cat Hospital humanely ended Tommy's life. The entire family was there to see him go. We had him buried in the pet cemetary at Jungle Cat World in Orono, Ontario on November 27, 2004.
Although Tommy is no longer with us, he left us with an unspeakable amount of happy memories. The companionship he provided me was like no other I've ever had. Without him, I don't know if I could have gone through many sad and lonely times. The imprint that he has left in my heart with forever remain.
We will all miss you very much Tommy, but I am reassured because I know you are in a happy place now with your best friends, Daisy, Katie, Lucy, and Chucky. I will try to live my life happily because you brought nothing but happiness to my life.