Of course, C is for Cat. You all know Mason, right?

Isn’t he beautiful?

I’ve always had a Siamese cat, even before I was born. You see, when my oldest brother was 11 he started begging for a cat. My parents agreed and sought permission from their downstairs neighbor and landlord. The landlord said okay but only if they got a Siamese cat because that’s what they had. My mom went out and got a book on Siamese cats and the search for the Siamese kitten began. It wasn’t long before they found one and they named him Simba, after a champion Siamese cat in the book my mom had purchased. Please note this was way before the lion king – this was 1964.

I came along in 1965 and Simba lived to be 18 so I really did have him my whole life. I was devastated when he died of old age as he really was the most wonderful cat. My parents eventually got another Siamese but I was in college then so I never really bonded with him. When I got married, of course, I wanted my own Siamese cat and we got Maxwell. He was wonderful and friendly but rather independent. I know, I know, he was a cat and that’s their nature but Max just never really needed people all that much.

When I married Dale I brought Max along with me to the marriage. He got along fairly well with Dale’s dog but I worried about him a lot because he was a cat who was used to going outdoors and we now lived on a very busy street. My worst fears came true when Max was hit and killed by a car. I shall pause for a moment now for all you cat lovers to collect yourselves.

I grieved for Max for a long time and it was over a year before I was ready to let another cat into my heart. But then came Mason. We got him on Valentine’s Day, 2002. He was so tiny he could sit in the palm of my hand. I was sewing a lot in those days and he loved to lay on the arm of my sewing machine, right under the light. He was truly the sweetest and cutest kitten I had ever seen.

And he has grown into the most wonderful cat. He sits with me while I knit and he sleeps in the crook of my arm – under the bed covers – most nights. He is quite vocal and has whole conversations with me about what he does all day when I’m at work. He is my buddy in every sense of the word and I love him far more than any woman should love a cat.

C is for cat. A cat named Mason.