Anyone who knows me knows I love animals. If I couldn’t work helping others I would definitely be working with animals. I have had cats since I was a kid and when I lived in Florida during my late 20’s I volunteered with Wild Life Rescue and at the SPCA. In 1991 a little while after my cat “Romeo” passed away I went down to the SPCA to adopt another cat. When I walked into the adoption room there he was. He even had an “M” on his forehead, which was always a pre-requisite if you were going to be one of my cats! I named him Adonis but he soon became known as Spoose for his love of the Goose that lived next door. He spent hours watching the Goose from the living room window.
Spoose never met a stranger. When my father had his stroke, Spoose was an excellent companion for him. The stroke had affected my dad’s right side and Spoose would just sit there as my dad would try to pet him. Spoose had the patience of Job, loved to play and that really helped my dad during his recovery.
Years passed and it was just me and Spoose. When I had my accident in 1994 and was diagnosed with RSD, I know Spoose knew I was sick. Funny how animals sense things. Spoose was more to me than just a cat. Spoose was one of my biggest blessings. I had plenty of help from my brother and my friends, I couldn’t have made it without their help, but all those nights when the pain was so bad I couldn’t sleep, it was Spoose who would sit there and try to comfort me. So many times, Spoose and I just sat there together and I would listen to him purr. Well I don’t know what else to say, except thank you God for bringing us together that day in 1991 because I needed his company.
Every night for 16 years Spoose was in the front window waiting for me to come home. As soon as I was walking toward the door I would see him jump down from the window sill and I knew he was running for the door to meet me so we could say our hellos.
The AskMara logo was designed by my niece Andrea and it signifies my journey with RSD and my memory of “Spoose – The Best Kitty in the Whole World”.
