Lucky (left) & Blizzard (right)

Way back in 1983, a man who does maintenance in the building I work in was moving from a small farm 45 miles away, to a condo in the city that didn't allow him to keep pets. He needed to find a new home for his cat. About a year earlier, his youngest daughter decided she wanted a kitten. Since the family lived in a farming area, they went to one of the neighbors, who said they had 'extra' kittens in their barn.

According to my friend, there were at least 40 to 50 cats and kittens in the barn, including multiple litters. The young girl called out "Here kitty", several times, and the only one to respond was a little tuxedo girl, with a black mark near her nose. They took that kitten home. The little tuxedo kitten grew up to be Lucky, and bonded with the older man, rather than the daughter, following him everywhere, and spending all her time with him.

I had always liked cats, but had never had one. He decided I would provide the perfect home for his cat, and wore down my initial objections until I agreed to take her.

I knew nothing about cats, but Lucky was a very, very friendly cat. She adapted to my little house in the city very well, and was a wonderful cat in every way imaginable.

She followed me everywhere in the house, and was extremely playful and affectionate. She quickly learned to come when I called, and for the rest of her life, no matter where she was, or what she was doing, she always came when I called to her. She would even wake up, and leave her napping spot on a warm radiator, to come when I called to her.

Lucky was indeed a very affectionate cat. Her most favorite thing in the world, was to lay on my chest, while I watched the television in my recliner, and lick my face. I used to blow gently on her nose to get her to stop licking me.

Lucky would eventually put her paws on either side of my neck, and knead them there ('making bread'), while nuzzling my chin. Eventually, she would put her head under my chin, with her paws still on either side of my neck, and fall asleep. This was a regular ritual which was performed every time I sat in the recliner.

Lucky soon learned to come running, often at top speed, whenever she heard the mechanism of the recliner; she knew the sound meant that she could snuggle with me. It was funny to watch her: when she was happy, she had a different walk; she positively pranced, lifting her front legs higher than usual, almost like a performing horse.

Lucky would be walking through a room, and when I called her name, she would begin to prance towards me. It was such a funny thing to see. Lucky was just an all around happy cat, all of the time, and to my immense good fortune, I was the person who was blessed with her happiness, and I was the person who made her so happy.

Really, I was the one who was Lucky, getting to share my life with such an extraordinarily sweet natured, loving kitty.

I cold never let Lucky sleep with me: she just wanted to play with me all night, jumping on my chest, licking my nose, nuzzling my ear. When I went to bed, Lucky would snuggle with me for awhile. Then I would say: "It's time for me to go sleep, Lucky". And she would jump down off the bed, and leave my bedroom. She was a very, very smart kitty, too.

Lucky was a real lover. Everyone who met her became her instant friend. She loved to be picked up and petted, by anyone and everyone. She was just an extremely friendly, outgoing kitty! Everyone who met her said the same thing: Lucky was the nicest cat they had ever met.

Rather late in her life, Lucky needed to have her teeth cleaned. I was nervous about the general anesthesia, due to her age. I took her to the vet before work, and worried all day. My work schedule had me working late, so I told them I would pick up Lucky just before they closed, at 6PM.

But although they called me when she woke up from the anesthesia, and told me she was OK, I left work early to go pick her up.

I got to the vet's office around 4:30PM. Imagine my surprise to find Lucky sitting on the receptionist's desk, while the receptionist was working!

The young woman was surprised to see me there early, and also seemed a bit embarrassed that I had 'caught' her with my kitty. She picked up Lucky and was giving her some scritches, and she told me that Lucky was the nicest cat she had ever seen at the clinic, in the three years she had worked there!

She went on at some length, telling me how lucky I was to have her, and how she wanted a cat just like Lucky. And it was true: Lucky was just a big love bug. The only place she wanted to be was sitting in my lap, or lying on my chest. She loved chasing a toy on a stick, which I waved for her.

Lucky had what I called a 'stealth purr'. She purred a LOT, but it was almost inaudible. If I put my ear by her mouth, I could just barely hear her purring when she inhaled and exhaled. Of course, if I was holding her, I could put my ear on her side, and hear her purring.

Lucky's absolute favorite toy was a laser pointer. She would get visibly excited if she saw me take it down from the peg it was hung on. She would attack the spot with great enthusiasm, and chase it endlessly. If I made the spot go in a circle, Lucky would chase it at top speed, like a puppy chasing it's tail. I could get Lucky running at full speed the length of my little house. Since she was an indoor only kitty, this provided her with a lot of exercise.

On June 8th, 1999, I came home from work, and Lucky didn't meet me at the door, as she always did. I had to search for her, and found her hiding behind a stereo speaker. She was lethargic, and running a fever.

I took her to the vet immediately, and he decided to give her an injection of antibiotics, and give me some antibiotics to take home, rather than running a lot of tests. Almost exactly a year earlier, Lucky had presented with identical symptoms, and antibiotics had her back to her old self in one day. I was told to return the next day if Lucky was still running a fever.

I was not so fortunate this time. I could tell she was very ill, and I sat up with her very, very late, so she could curl up on my chest. Finally, I put her in one of her favorite places to sleep: under an end table, on a folded up, soft blanket.

In the morning, I found her there: she had gone to the Bridge in the night. I think it was while she was asleep, as she went to sleep almost immediately when I placed her on her 'bed'.

I buried her in my back yard, under the lilac bushes I had planted when I bought my house, with some of her toys. There is a stone marker where she lies.

I like having her buried close by, even though I know she's waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge.

I miss her terribly, every single day.

In Loving Memory of Lucky
1982 - Sept 6, 1999

All images and text are Copyright © Tom Cunningham
July 26, 2007