Losing Oliver so unexpectely, shattered both of our souls. Unless you have found such a bond with a feline, it is hard to put into words the impact they leave when they pass.

For me, Oliver was my steady boy. He was always at the door to greet me at night when I would come home from work. He was the first to greet me in the morning, usually because he would sleep on my chest and purr into my ear.

For Mike, Oliver was his constant comfort. Ollie’s favorite place to lay down was on mike’s recliner. No sooner would Mike reach down and gently place him on the ground, Oliver would leap back up into the seat. Many times, Oliver became close to being a pancake kitty! When Mike finally won the tug-of-war and could sit down, Oliver would leap onto his chest, nuzzle his beard and bite this nose gently. Then he would settle down for a long snooze, generally upside down on Mike’s lap and chest.

I was entertaining the notion of taking a kitten that I know of who needs a home in order to find another companion for Mike when I received a phone call from a lady who over four years ago adopted Oliver’s brother and Sister- Scuba and Sonic. Georgia asked to meet me, she is an elderly woman living with many health challenges. I drove over to her home where she proceeded to tell me she has been diagnosed with incurable and inoperable cancer and she doesn’t have long to live. She has asked me to please take Oliver’s siblings back and care for them until they join her. I was stunned and saddened at the news. I know these cats are one of the main reasons she gets up every morning and it must have been so hard for her to ask me this favor.

I told her I would and that I would visit her every week until she is ready to let go of them. She lives about 20 minutes away and the thought of something happening to her quickly and losing sight of these beautiful cats is something I want to avoid. She is not ready to let them go and who can blame her, so I will wait until she finally says I can bring them home.

I am a bit concerned about Sonic, this short-haired grey kitty has lost a substantial amount of weight, so I started dropping off food for both of them and also wormed and de-flead them at the last visit.

So, although Oliver is gone, God is giving us the opportunity to reconnect with these two kittens. Scuba who is a beautiful, sleek black boy, readily climbed into my lap during the visit, but Sonic stayed in hiding under the bed.

On a sadder note, Mike has to go in for two more surgeries soon. The diabetes has invaded his arms and hands and he is slowly losing strength in his hands. The nerves are so compressed according to the neurologist that Mike failed the recent electrode test miserably. They will be only able to do one hand at a time. I just wish Ollie were still here, I have a feeling Mike is going to need him more than ever in his recuperation process.