I first met Theo at the SPCA’s holiday windows at Macy’s in downtown San Francisco.  I wasn’t sure yet if I was ready to adopt yet after losing my previous cat a few months earlier, but I stopped by to admire the kittens in the windows, then ventured inside to the backstage adoption center, where more kittens waited in cages.  One guy stood out for me, a tabby with a distinctive white ring around his neck (I would come to call it his scarf), and bright, curious eyes.  When they brought him out to meet me, he spent the next 20 minutes bouncing around the room, chasing the wand I’d borrowed, and pouncing on everything in sight (including a couple of the volunteers).  But eventually he settled down on my lap, stretched out and went to sleep, and that’s when I knew.

Once he was home with me, that first encounter turned out to have been prophetic, and set the pattern for our life together.  He was a bundle of energy, tearing around the apartment, bouncing off the walls, playing with his toys.  But eventually he would settle down, and then he would bring that same intensity to loving me with all his heart.  There was no place he’d rather be than my lap, where he would purr contentedly for hours.  He was always at the door to welcome me home when I got home from work and would roll ecstatically on the floor while soaking up pets and head and belly rubs.  And when I went to bed at the end of the day, he’d snuggle right next to me for the night.

When he wasn’t on my lap, he loved to look out the window at trees and birds or go outside on the landing for fresh air and sunshine (where he was a hit with the neighbors) or join me in sharing some chicken or turkey.  But most of all, he loved visits from his other human Claire, which were always a special occasion for him.

He never did like me leaving the apartment for any length of time, and when the pandemic and lockdown hit, his dream came true, as I was home all day long, and could give him unlimited attention and lap time (once totaling 7 hours for the day).  By the time he started having health issues, I was retired and again could focus on him and give him all the attention he wanted and needed; our close bond grew even closer.  As his health declined, the time came to let him go, but he had a good last day filled with his favorite activities and surrounded by his loved ones.  He will be missed beyond measure.

-Anthony Z.