Dedicated to a Dear Friend of Mine in England,

Who Just Lost Her Precious Ricky,
One of The Great Cats

‘Thou Art the Great Cat,

The Avenger of the Gods,

And the Judge of All Worlds,

The President of the Sovereign Chiefs,

And the Governor of the Holy Circle;

Thou Art, Indeed ... The Great Cat.’

Inscription On The Royal Tombs at Thebes

Dog is my Co-Pilot

Spouse, my Navigator

And Cat, The Great Cat,

Is my Very Sage Philosopher

The very first Great Cat to graciously arrive in my life

Magically materialized on my dog’s sad backyard grave

Although he was only a newborn kitten, he was very wise

This Orange Tabby showed me how to live again, unafraid

Next came the Snowy White Christmas Kitten

Who presented himself as a gift to my future wife

He quickly brought my spouse and myself together

We soon married, he taught us how to end our strife

Next came the Coal Black Southern Feline Infant

Who somehow found me, on a business trip one day

He quickly taught me how to live life far more serenely

He taught me how to always take some time out, to play

Next came the Tiny Flea-Bitten Grey-Striped Orphan

Who somehow managed to survive all alone underground

By helping her, she taught me much more about compassion

In our home, she was always a great reminder to have around

Next came the Very Thin Courageous Brown Spotted Mother

Who was raiding a garbage can, attempting to feed her babies

She soon taught me what true parental love was really all about

Loving and providing for her children, with no ifs, ands, or maybes

Next came The Elderly Black and White Cat Who Spoke To Me

Her lonely cries taught me to have far more respect for the elderly

She quickly became the Matriarch of our ever growing feline clan

All of us soon grew to love her grandmotherly spirit and generosity

Next came far too many Left Behind Felines of Hurricane Katrina

Their great suffering and pain, so powerfully reflected in their cat eyes

They quickly taught me that all forms of life on this earth, are precious

They soon reminded me that tears are good for the soul, and how I cried

Next came Our Tiny Tortoise Shell New Orleans Beauty

Who somehow called out to my very soul, that day I found her

She taught me that it’s possible to start over again, after tragedy

And she reminds me of that every day now, with her joyous purrs

And Finally, came Our Sickly Emaciated Grey-Striped Feral Feline

Who displays much gratitude every day now, just for having a home

This feline lives every day, with a debilitating illness that will kill him

But the courageous way he approaches life, could spark many a poem

Many of us have also now read about wise Oscar, the Nursing Home Cat

He compassionately teaches how to accept death, I’ve no doubt about that

And every day now,

When I very eagerly awaken at dawn,

I soon peer out my back window, and I soon wonder,

When the next Great Cat, will materialize on my lawn

†2007, Mr. Ed

“If man could be crossed with cat,

It would improve the man,

But it would deteriorate the cat.”

Mark Twain