>>13510
I read this in his voice. I'm even reading this reply I'm typing out in his voice right now
I had a tabby cat that our family gave many names. My dad wood call him Big Red, my mother and siblings wood call him Big Boy, and I wood call him Garfield or Big Boy. His name came from his size, he was a bretty big tabby cat with a beautiful pattern of fur. His belly was all white and so were his paws. Eberrything else were these shades of orange and brown. His eyes were green.
This cat and I bonded. I sometimes think we were friends or companions in a past life. It just felt like I knew what he was thinking sometimes. He used to sleep in my bed a bunch. If my door was closed, he'd claw at it until I opened it, then he'd sleep beside me. He only liked being pet on his head. Anywhere else and he'd scratch you badly. He didn't really understand how to play fight haha when he brought his claws out, then he meant business so you had to watch it.
He's the only cat I know that wood drink out of faucets, mostly the bathtub faucet. His big butt wood jump into a bathtub and then sit there and meow until someone turned the faucet on for him. Obviously, you couldn't turn the faucet on too much or Big Boy wood get soaked, so you'd turn it on just a pinch and he'd duck his head into where the drops were landing and just lick at the water for minutes at a time. Him getting wet was unavoidable, but I guess he just didn't care. Water droplets wood beat down on the top of his head, but he'd just keep drinking. We had maybe 7 cats at the time and none of them wood do anything like this. Such a strange behavioral trait, but this was Big Boy we were talking about, so just a typical thing for him
This cat was also smart, like really smart. He knew what room I was sleeping in from the outside of the house, so if he ever was stuck outside and wanted to come in, then he'd come to my window and meow. I know, it might sound kinda basic, but again none of our cats wood do anything like this. The fact that he knew where my room was, even outside, showed some amazing understanding of the layout of our house. It wasn't like he could see me either. My blinds were closed all the time, so how he figured it out is beyond me. How he figured I'd be able to hear him is also a mystery.
He was also a protector. We had to take care of this pitbull for a year and unbelievably Big Boy came to hate her. I'm not sure if it was how rambunctious the dog was or what, but Big Boy wood try to fight this dog that was twice his size any chance he got. He was never afraid and there were many scares where it seemed like he might have gotten really hurt, but he was never injured. I also think the pitbull, who really was a sweetheart, knew not to hurt him and understand her power over him.
Big Boy was the kind've cat that wood also just jump into your car if the door was open. It was something we had to be berry mindful of at our house. One day, inevitably, we came outside in the morning to start the day and found Big Boy had been trapped in one of the cars overnight. Poor guy was sweating immensely, but he was okay. He dodged death like that many times to the point where I started thinking nothing could kill him.
At one point, he got trapped in the sewers and was too old to climb back out. He was missing for days and my mom and I were so worried. I went walking through my neighborhood because I wanted to clear my head after a bad breakup and at one point, I, on gut feeling, nelt down by one of those sewer drains on the curb and called out Big Boy's name. I wasn't expecting anything to habben, we kinda just figured he'd died somewhere, but alas, he meowed at me! I couldn't believe it! I knew instantly it was his meow and sprinted back to my house to get my mom! We lifted up one of those circular sewer rain covers and I jumped in to rescue him. It was scary because there were all kinds of creepy crawlers in there, but I know Big Boy wood do the same for me if he could, so it was no question. I went in and got him out.
I could talk about this cat forever, but all great things come to an end, even him. The last time I saw Big Boy was just before I left for the military. I knew somewhere deep down in my heart that this was it. I wasn't going to see him ever again. He wasn't one of those cats to run inside during a thunderstorm, he liked the rain, thunder and lightning. On one stormy night before my final farewell, I shut the porch light off and brought a chair outside to watch the storm with him, something I'd never done. We both sat in silence and just observed the storm together for a while.
Maybe I didn't get to say goodbye to him when the time came, but I know we'll see each other again. His energy was unmistakeable when he was around. I'll know it when I feel it, even if that's several lifetimes from now.