Ode to an Orange Tabby

Today, I said good bye to my best friend and first love -
Today, we said good bye to TonyDanza.
Today is a day that I've dreaded, cried over, and hate.

I acquired him from a Minot pet store in 2006. From there's he's made multiple moves with me - 10 in total. He's had multiple roommates and other live in pets. Some he's taken to, some he never did. The only consistency in his past 10 years that I've come home to him. He's been there to watch me cry myself to sleep and also danced around the kitchen with me. He's been a tenderfooted cuddler and companion. He's met me at the door most days and kept me company in the kitchen - hoping and begging for a handout.

He's always had his own personality... whether it's was his perfectly timed sneezes, or his love of cheese - especially string cheese, or his naughty ways of getting up on counters to get into food. He once hauled an entire loaf of bread from the top of the fridge through the kitchen, down the stairs, through the living room, into my bedroom and proceeded to eat it there on the floor. He has helped himself to a ground beef pack - and was blatantly guilt when we asked him and Lola who the culprit was. He's been known to gently tap at you to let you know he's interested in what you are eating or preparing. He also was a perfect distraction in my college days as he used to "fetch" these pink fuzzy socks... I'd keep throwing across the room and he'd retrieve them, dragging them under his chest.

Aside from his fascination and focus on food, he was acutely aware of people's emotions. When I was having a rough day, he'd jump into the bed and crawl under the cover and just purr. He did this for a past roommate too who was going through some stuff. I don't know how he did it but he always knew when things weren't right and he'd cuddle in. There were times the past couple months when Len would cry and he'd come up and cry and tap on my leg.


It wasn't these little quirks that made him stand out to me, or made him special. For a long time, it was just him and I. We were all each other needed. He watched me grow up into my adulthood. He watched me date, get married, and bring home my first baby. Maybe he didn't do well with all these changes but I can't blame him. He struggled when my pregnant belly made little room for him on my lap and maybe this was the start of his end. Maybe he looked at the fact that he did what he needed to do. He got me through those long night. He loved me like I needed to do for myself.



To my little friend - thank you for the laughs, but more importantly, thank you for the love... you will not be forgotten any time soon. ALR