Reflections on a Cat

If you fast forward fifteen years or so, Shakey was my constant companion at work. He lay in a chair by me and comforted me often when I was stressed out. He was very in tune to my mood and was quite comfortable, most of the time, to just abide with me. I drew great strength and comfort from Shakey during some very trying times. I owe him a great deal. And he was a lot of fun to interact with. I will miss his headbutts and that calm paw on my leg when I was losing control of my temper.

Our cats, including Shakey, slept with us until Beth's allergies and their rambunctiousness at inconvenient hours put a stop to that. Here is Shakey moving into my warm place on the bed.

Most of my pictures of cats are when they are still because I didn't take pics as they raced around the house. But here was Shakey, very intelligent, curious, and playful at our house on Blooming Grove Road in Hanover, Pa. He was a very young cat and this wasn't long after we got him. I enjoyed his personality and winning ways. He was a great companion.

Shakey came to us less than a month after our daughter committed suicide. She had been with us only 17 years and that's about how long Shakey would stay. This was in the year 2000. My son, Jared, found him starving in a state park in Tennessee while he was camping. He devoured a can of tuna and slept in Jared's sleeping bag before he was taken home to Jared's apartment. He named him Shake-n-bake after his coloring, Shakey for short.