Tuffy: my tough little girl

 "I love cats because I love my home;
And after a while, they become its visible soul."  Jean Cocteau  Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau      Jean Cocteau              

I’ll never forget the day I found her
Living in a deep dark damp crawl space
Under the old government office building 

She was far too thin
She had a nasty eye infection
She was filthy and covered with parasites
And she had the saddest face I had ever seen

So I gently picked her up
And took her to my vet’s office
Where in total fear for her life
She bit and scratched everyone there

“You’ve got a real tough one here!” yelled the vet
As he tried to calm and medicate her
And soon this tough little crawl space feral
Became our beloved ‘Tuffy’

Her favourite pastime was sprawling out
In the sun in our bedroom bay window
Where she either enjoyed long leisurely naps
Or pursued her beloved hobby of bird watching

And my tough little girl was a very good student
Soon she was able to imitate almost any call
Of any bird that happened to perch outside our door
And soon she truly delighted in tricking all of us

She would find a deep dark corner to hide in
And devilishly practice her amazing bird chirps
And I would often laugh hysterically
As the dogs and cats rushed off in hot pursuit
Convinced a robin or a sparrow or a chickadee
Had invaded a closet or a bathroom or my den

And she would very proudly grin at them
When they discovered it was her not a bird

Tuffy also loved studying me for some reason
And very stealthily following me all around the house
Watching my every move - observing me at the computer
And I’ve always wondered what she thought of me
As she so passionately did her diligent homework

My very intelligent and tough little girl
Was also fascinated with our television set
She would camp out in front of it in the evening for hours
Mesmerized by the sights and sounds unfolding before her
She especially loved nature programs which featured birds

My tough little girl
Who I loved immensely
Who brought me so much joy
Who taught me so many lessons
Got terribly sick a few days ago
And died in my arms yesterday

Working at my computer
And watching television
And walking about the house
Will never be the same for me now

My every day life will never be the same for me now
Without my tough little girl gracing it with her presence

My world gets sadder and sadder
I lost my tough little girl yesterday
I wept as she died in my arms
I can’t believe she’s gone away

© Ed Kostro February 8th 2006

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