9 Lives But Not Long Enough.

ZenZen
Aug 10, 2017
2 min read

Today I lost another good friend. Once on the way back from school I heard meows of a cat on the rooftop near the parking lot of my condo. A small marmalade colored kitten was strolling along and looked at me. It seemed scared at first but later that was the start of our friendship. The kitten had no name yet so I kept calling it "Cheese" because honestly that was the only name I had in mind. Cheese didn't seem to like people at first and it was hard to approach due to the fear a small wee kitten like Cheese had. I knew it took time so I allowed Cheese to get to know my condo's surroundings to get comfortable. Then one day all of a sudden Cheese approached me and allowed me to pet its head and that's when I knew we would be best friends. Time passed and Cheese slowly grew to be an older male cat that scurried from here to there but was still the friendly cat he was when I met him as a kitten.

I would sometimes feed him food and he would thank me by nudging his head on my legs or asking me to pat on his head just like a dog would if its owner rewarded it. Cheese also began to hunt for prey but it was always hilarious seeing him try. As time passed by not only did he become closer with me but with other condo residents as well. He became the condo cat and this was his home. Realizing how it had been a year was an awesome way to see Cheese literally grow up in front of my eyes. The last time I saw him was before my trip to Japan, where I said my farewells. That's when I realized that it would be the last time I'll ever see him again. I got news from my father that Cheese was in critical condition and was injured and taken to the vet by a local resident who frequently fed Cheese and played with him time to time.

His condition worsened and we were told that his kidney and liver and internal organs were failing. I was devastated, what or who did this to him? Others suspected that Cheese possibly was bitten by a snake or rat which explained the internal failure, but it made no sense to me. Cheese was an excellent hunter in my eyes, but for this to happen seemed to be more of a freak accident. Anxious, we were already told about funeral bills and I was not ready for any of that news just yet. Cheese had to keep fighting, I just believed in that. But due to complications on the 10th of August, 2017, he passed away. I didn't't know what to say anymore, Then I met a resident who told me he cared for Cheese (Who he refers as "Nibbles") and was really sad about the news. To us, Cheese was more than just a cat, he was OUR cat. But whatever happens, happens. We all made donations to the orange condo cat that lived here for a year. Sometimes, maybe not all 9 lives live that long. Rest in Peace baby boy, we will all miss you <3