Memorial

For 13 years my life has been filled with unconditional love from Mr. Kade Oliver, my moo Kitty, “Kade the cat!”. Mr. Kade was named after my favorite DJ, Kaskade and he was dubbed my moo kitty because for a while he was overweight and all he wanted to do was eat! He was always such a lover from the time he was born to the time he left me. I think I could write forever when it comes to Kade, and how we were so in sync. Which is the hardest part about losing him because my little shadow is gone. When I moved to my first studio in 2010, the thought of being without a roommate for the first time was daunting and this 5 week old baby kitten fell into my lap from a coworkers neighbor. “YES, I’ll take the little yellow orange one.” And thus began our adventure. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning. He was so active and playful. He was so small that I had to put a bell on him so I could find him. That ended quickly after I learned how active kittens are at night. AND boy did he poop – as a kitten he pooped everywhere and then played with it. As a kitten, he was so determined to go outside, and many times he would get stuck in between the window and the screen. I received many calls from my neighbor that my cat was stuck, and I’d have to go home to rescue him. We played fetch and I taught him how to play hide and seek. It was a sight to see. We loved that first little studio – just the two of us. Kade has been with me through everything life has thrown at me over the almost decade and a half- which if you know me, is kind of a lot. He moved with me 8 times to different apartments spanning across 2 cities, and each time he’d walk around and check out his new digs. I was never charged with any cleaning fees or lost pet deposits because he was such a well behaved kitty. Except when he turned 4 – the terrible fours! For the first time he learned how to unroll the toilet paper, throw it into the toilet and then fish it out. We went through a lot of rolls that year. He even started bringing it to the bed as his nightly gifts. That was a fun phase! One night I’ll never forget was when I came home from a fair with a pet goldfish. He didn’t notice the new roommate swimming around the bowl until I showed him his new friend. He didn’t seem interested whatsoever, so I thought “ok cool, we can coexist”. That evening, as me and a group of friends were coming home from a night out, I noticed the bowl was filled with water but missing the fish. I looked around and there was no sign of foul play. I could not find any evidence of wrong doing – to this day only Kade really knows what went on that night. RIP fishy. We recently bought a condo by the beach and I know he loved how big his new place was. He had many places to explore but his favorite spot was the official dining room chairs. I get sad thinking how we didn’t have much time together here, but I know that he’s with me all around, I take comfort in knowing his name is etched in the wood beams for eternity. Kade was more than a pet- he was my best friend, my roommate, my therapist. Kade was my child, my family. He got me through long nights worrying over life’s trials and tribulations, and a very drawn out divorce. He was with me when I’d have anxiety attacks when the world felt too heavy and never left my side until I calmed down. We were quarantine buddies, and I got to live like him for a while- eat, sleep, repeat. He’d join us in living room dance parties, lunch times, dinner times, party times or movie/ quiet times. He’d always be in the mix and even sit and play in his toy box while we were hanging out. He was one of us. When we’d take shots, he was right there munching down a shot glass of treats. When I’d cry he’d get right up in my face, and when I was happy he’d still be right at my side purring. We’d play music and dance around the house. When he got older he was over fetch, but still indulged me with hide and go seek. He was more than a cat or a pet, he was and will always be an extension of me. He taught me unconditional love, patience (especially during his playing with toilet paper phase). He taught me how to live in the moment, and slow down, to take the extra time in bed or on the couch to cuddle and take in his purrs. He loved me and stuck by me through so many ups and downs, and I loved him more than any of these words could explain. And now my heart feels shattered because my shadow is gone, and I couldn’t save him. I try to make sense of all of this because it happened so suddenly, but I know he’s teaching me a lesson and one day it’ll make sense. Until then I will celebrate my little orange baby Kade who brought me the best 13 years of love – a love I never knew I could experience. I love you Mr. Kade, my moo kitty – there will never be another cat quite like you. I hope you know how loved you are and will always be.

Guestbook

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