They Give More Than They Get

I stumbled, half asleep from the late night journey home, onto the front porch, and was suddenly startled fully awake. Something had landed on my back as I'd bent to pick up something left on the porch. Gathering my senses, I soon discovered a very small calico kitten purring and rubbing against my neck. I recall thinking she had probably wandered away, had seen a person, and was looking for some temporary companionship before heading home. I petted and chatted, then put her down and went inside and to bed.
That was my first introduction to "Baby", "KK", "BK", or "Baby Cat". It began an over 15 year relationship during which neither of us tried to tame the other. Soon, Baby was living with me when I was home from Utica and my job, and became a permanent part of my life. She came and went when she wanted, never looking thin or hungry. I'd spot her on the roof of my barn of an early morn, examining the birds nesting in my eves, planing her hot breakfast. In a short while, she might curl up on the back porch if it was warm out, or be looking to come inside to curl up on a comfy spot in the warm house.
Baby was the only animal allowed in my bed, and would only come when she decided to, but was never turned away. A perfect sleeping companion, she stayed near my face all night and if I awoke would reassuringly purr me back to sleep. She didn't mind my marriage and bringing other humans into the house, but when Tucker,the black and white male cat, came to stay, she never went into the cellar for a meal again. Always ate in the kitchen after that.
Last Thursday, in the wee hours Molly, Ashley's little Peekapoo, barked once and woke me up. I was later to find that she was alerting us to the neighbor who spotted my beloved KK dead in the street in front of the house. He was coming home from work, and spotted her laying in the road. He didn't want the kids to see what was possibly one of their pets in such a state, so he put her behind the guard rail. She was beautiful to the end, and even then she looked like she could pop up and sprint away. She was healthy and youthful even at 15 years, and met her end doing what she always loved to do. She was out hunting and roaming the neighborhood in the night, keeping it free of various rodents and pests. Some pets, like our family Lab, Andy, are larger than life forever in our minds. I still look for Baby, and catch myself when I realize she won't be where I expect her to appear, or jump up on my lap on the deck like she did Wednesday evening to share my burger with me. But she'll always be in my heart, and I'll never forget the unconditional love and understanding she gave me. I only regret that, sadly, we can never repay our animals for all they give. Love your pets with deeds as well as your hearts, for too soon they are gone, and only their memories remain to warm our lives.
Happy hunting Baby.