Remembering Tigger

February 19th, 2016

Tigger,

Thank you so much for giving me the gift of your companionship and friendship for the past 15 years. You are truly a unique, special, and amazing cat.

I still remember when I first met you. You were such a cute little kitten and I could already see eyes full of love and I instantly knew you were going to be my little buddy forever.

As the years went on, I learned to handle your quirks, just as I'm sure you did mine. I remember how at about six in the morning, you would decide it was a good time for food and that the best way to let me know was to get up on my bed and nibble on my ears until I woke up. Back then, I found it a nuisance. Now, however, I would move mountains if it gave me the ability to be woking up by you nibbling on my ear once more.

You have always been the sweetest cat. You loved anyone who walked in the room and all you wanted to do was make sure they knew you were a kitty, that you wanted to purr, and that if they pet you, you'd purr even more. You never met a person you didn't love and there sure weren't many people who could say they didn't love you. Even at the vet's office, you were the most respectful, adorable, obedient cat. They all loved you and loved to see you when you'd go for your monthly arthritis shot. You couldn't go anywhere without making a kid smile at the huge, cute kitty. While no one will ever miss you as much as I do, I think you have quite a few vets and vet techs who are going to miss getting to see your adorable face anymore.

You had a gift for being a cat who knew how to always stand out. You loved car rides, as an example. I loved driving over to the lake nearby with you in the passenger seat sitting there, ready to go. Whenever I was sad, you always knew a drive would cheer me up, and even though I'm sure you had other important cat things to do, you were always more than happy to sit in the seat next to me purring up a storm, waiting for us to stop driving so you could come get in my lap and have me pet you until you dozed off for a short nap.

Even as life started to change for me, you were always there for me, unconditionally loving me. Before I had told a single human I was gay, you knew and didn't judge. Even when I left and was in California for 6 months, you never gave up, and when we got to see each other after all those months, I could still feel your unconditional love, ready to completely forgive me of not being around for 6 months.

Now as I'm preparing to move back to California once more, I still feel the presence of your love. Even when it meant we weren't going to see each other for a long time, I could see it in your eyes that you wanted me to go and to be happy--and that means the world to me. If it was at all possible, there is no one I would've rather had sitting shotgun to me than you, driving across the country, starting our new lives in California.

Even though the Universe had other plans, I know you're still going to be with me forever. You're always going to be with me and I'll always be with you. Make sure you go say hi to Purdy and Lucky and let them know we still love them both so very much.

Thank you, Tigger, for being my best friend, for providing me love no matter what, and for being my little buddy. Most of all, thank you for teaching me that unconditional love does exist. Thank you for opening up my heart and allowing me to love you and for wanting to be around me when no one else would. Thank you for letting me into your life and for letting me be your big buddy and your best friend.

I love you so much and can't ever thank you enough for how you shaped me into the person I am today by providing me with constant, unconditional love (with a side of purring and cuddling of course). A huge piece of your soul will continue to live on in my heart.

If I'm ever given a wish, a wish that could grant me anything, I would choose to use it to have a five minute conversation with you, to make sure you know how much I love you and to tell you how you are the best cat there ever was and of how proud I am that you were my cat--my little buddy. That wish right there would be more valuable to me than anything else on this earth.

Much love to my little buddy,
Justin