Matt, what a beautiful, touching story. My eyes are glassed over in tears.
He chose you Matt. He sensed you were a good person that would look after him in his last days - and you did. Even to the point of going without food so you could get him healthy. That's real love and dedication. I bet he sensed you needed him at that time too. He sure left you with a wonderful gift - the gift of love. Precious. A very very precious and touching story. If I were you, I would print out what you wrote about him here and keep it.
Cats will often choose their owners, mine have, and I have known others as well whose animals have done the same. When it comes time for breeders to give the kitties away, the good/caring breeders will watch for the bond between kitten and prospective owner. When I got Phoebe (lilac burmese), I spent a good hour playing with the kittens and cats, (all the other kitties were sold, but her) but the only kitten that kept relentlessly coming to me and jumping on me, was Phoebe - and everytime I would ask which kitten it was (they all looked the same), the breeder would say, "your one". I had been chosen. And my other cat, Millie, when looking for a cat to buy, meowed mercilessly at me from her cage in the pet store - screamed at me just about - and I looked at her and said,
"but you're so ugly!
. I decided there and then looks didn't matter,
this cat needed me, and we formed the most amazing communication bond that goes beyond anything I could ever imagine to have with a cat.
Aaaargh cats, the loves of our lives, where would we be without them. They give us so much love, joy, comfort and companionship. a bow of thanks to our very beloved and extended family members
.
Brent, yes they certainly do run incredibly fast and hard. But Up the walls?! - That would be a fantastic site to see!
Wendy Christensen has got a book out called "Outwitting Cats". Here in Aus it sells for $30 from Borders. Brilliant book with a ton of tips for understanding their behaviour (esp. when there is more than one cat involved). The chapters are broken down well, so it is an easy reference source to find different topics. A lot made sense after I read it.
Warren, I really do apologise if we have hijacked your thread.
It's just that once us cat lovers start talking about them, we just can't stop
.