I'll never forget the day when I first met Xander. He was a stray on my Aunties street and I pleaded and begged my parents to let me keep him. They gave in to my persuasion. He wouldn't have been 2 months old when I first lay my eyes upon him. The moment he was placed in my arms, was the moment my heart melted for this adorable orphan. I took him under my wing from then on, feeding him warm milk and mushy cat food.

He slept on my banana chair the day I brought him home, I can still remember his kitten smell and the way he looked so perfect in a little ball, fast asleep. During his life he turned into a lovable male cat. He always ran after our older cat, Ouzo and pounced on his behind whenever he got into a playful/mischievous mood. I wanted him to be an inside cat, but he told me otherwise. One day I was in the living room when I heard some 'miewing' at the front door. I told myself it couldn't have been Xander, but checked none-the-less. Sure enough, there was Xander, waiting like a proper gentleman for the door to be opened so he could strut inside. I later found out he had escaped through a window. He was everything I had dreamed him to be. He was a lap-cat, but also a fun individual to be with. He'd play with balls of wool and run around the house like a lunatic, and on the odd occasion he'd attack you if you messed up his games. I loved him so much. I still do.

My family and I moved to a small country town and Xander seemed to love the open space and the tiny creatures which scattered around the ground. Otherwise known as 'mice'.

I remember the day he caught his first mouse. I was so proud of him, I couldn't stop hugging him and kissing him. Then one day the family had noticed that he hadn't come home for a day. So we all went out looking for him. It was my father who had found my darling Xander. He had been shot in the chest and was on the edge of the field out the front of our house. I didn't want to believe that he had left me. Everything was going so well. At the age of only 2 and a half years old, Xander had passed away. The most important thing is, that he impacted my life so much and I'm so glad that I met an individual as wild as he was.

In Loving Memory of Xander

Copyright © Vikki Hanley
January 19, 2003