Give'em your heart & they'll give you theirs.

A cat has no use for fancy cars... big homes or designer clothes.

  

A frayed string and kitty treats will do just fine.

A cat doesn't care if you're rich or poor...

clever or dull, adventurous or boring.

 

Give'em your heart and they'll give you theirs.

 

How many people can you say that about?

How many people can make you feel rare, pure and special?

 

How many people can make you feel...

Extraordinary.

(from the movie Marley and Me with a few word changes… aka. cat lingo!)

So the other day I was watching Marley and Me… Don’t ask, it was on in the background and needless to say I fell a victim to getting sucked into this heartfelt tale. I must say I got so attached to the story I started to cry like a little kid who tripped and took the skin right off their knees… This is a rarity for me… I mean first off I barely ever cry and then the films I’m suppose to cry in such as The Notebook, Precious and whatever the critics and public say, have had little affect to my tear ducts. But this… I don’t even know where to start.

See growing up I didn’t have a lot of friend… don’t get me wrong I did run around with the neighborhood gang but I was misunderstood for the most part and I spent most of my time in my imaginary world with my cat Bullwinkle (aka Bubby). We would go on adventures, play in makeshift forts, hangout by the river, sit on docks and go on walks… yes all those crazy things we did and some may say he was more like a dog than a cat. And even though my parents took care of his health and made sure his litter and food were paid for he was mine and I was his. 

I remember the day I got my bubby, it was New Years Eve 1993, I was 6 and had just dealt with the loss of my cat Mushy and a baby kitty named Cleo in which we only had for a day before dieing over digestion problems or that was from my understanding. Anyway, my Madre wanted a Maine Coon cat and found an ad in the paper. We drove to see the little fur ball and I instantly fell in love, even though my Madre thought another cat was cuter. Thank the lady, for she said it wasn’t for sale so, I got exactly what I wanted, the misfit kitten of the litter! I ended up riding the whole way home with him in my lap and then followed him as he searched all around his new kingdom taking to long making my little-self hungry… As he seemed to like my room the best my Madre let me eat lunch of a microwavable cheeseburger in my room (which was usually forbidden). I found it kind of ironic because 16 years later on the day he left this world I ate the same microwavable cheeseburger. He was my best friend, my snuggle buddy when I had none and so much more. I think of him often and when I do I have a grin on my face that stretches ear to ear! 

When you have an animal you go through everything together, they see you at your best and worst and never judge… just that unconditional love. And as life comes and goes the ones who make footprints on our hearts, being animals or people are the one who help sculpt us. There is no greater gift than them, their presence, and their ability to make you remember.

Forever in my heart, Forever my friend, Forever my Bubby.