Tim, The Tuna King

In the early hours of Mother’s Day, we lost our dear Tim.

His sudden passing made me sad and feeling helpless. I could not believe his death could come so quickly at the snap of a finger. Tim's untimely death made me feel that I had failed to help him ward off an ailment that is common to both people and animals. Because of my short comings, I no longer have a rambunctious feline next to my feet waiting to be pampered. Now when I open the door to the back yard, I will miss seeing him under the shade of a filbert tree amid bluebell blooms and green grasses.

Tim came to our lives through a cat flap in the spring of 1999. We all know spring is the season when young amorous cats are out in the neighborhood looking for their perfect mates. After this handsome tom got his job done unscathed, he decided to move in with us. As a found poster for this young cat failed to find his owner, he became ours. And we named him Tim after the other tabby cats, Tommie and Tammy, we had before.

Over the years, I learned Tim was a very low-maintenance pussy. He was fastidiously clean as he licked himself often during the day, then another thorough grooming before bed. He got along with the older cats nicely unless they were fighting for the same cozy spot to sleep. Tim knew how to purr when showing of his affection was required. Sometimes he was a fool in disguise. Now and then we would see Tim on top of Sweetie even though he like his victim was a duly altered tom by qualified veterinarian years ago.

Tim’s other fetish was his weak resistance to canned tuna. If flaked tuna in water was the dish of the day, he would wait patiently as soon as he heard the can opener was at work. He would first devour his portion of the fish quickly then he worked on the leftover in the other cats’ dish. Matter of fact, a plateful of light tuna was his last square meal before he lost his ravenous appetite. His penchant for fish and other kibbles was the reason why Tim was on the chubby side for his age. He was fifteen and half pounds at the time of his passing.

Now our dear Tim is gone. Sweetie may find great relief living without him. His sudden departure makes me realize that there is no way I can turn the clock back to have him at my side again. But our fond memories of this precious feline will remain with us forever and ever. - Ayee