Last year...

This is the first anniversary of my cat Duncan's passing. I had adopted him from the Morris animal shelter soon after I moved back to Philly in 1996. They told me that he was about a year and a half old and had been left there by former owners who could no longer have cats for some reason. He was a gorgeous grey shorthair with white undermarkings and a grey spot under his chin that gave him a rakish appearance. He was a delicately shaped cat and loved me dearly. He and I were together for 9 years. He liked to keep cool by laying on bathtub tiles and he loved to drink from the faucet in the sink. He enjoyed pointing out bugs for me to deal with. The only human food he liked was boysenberry yogurt. He had a number of odd health issues and survived two operations for skin cancer before ultimately succumbing to kidney failure. I cried a lot that day. I had him cremated and buried his ashes under the lilac in my backyard on Midsummer's Day. He had no particular affinity for the lilac or the outdoors, but it made me feel good. The day that I picked up his remains was the day that I met my new cat Sawyer and 6 monthe later, my cat Chester. Circle of life. I miss my Duncan kitty and honor his memory.