Rusty had a rough start to life, and we learned early on that he was a survivor. He lived on boxed cereal and toilet water for a few weeks while in a house that had been foreclosed on. This house happened to be in the same neighborhood as my mom’s boss at the time, Chris. Being an animal-lover as well, Chris rescued Rusty and promised to find him a good home when she found out Rusty’s life would be prematurely ended had she not intervened. We quickly fattened him up and he came to know the life he always deserved.

Rusty had a best friend for the last 10 years. Matty joined our family a couple of years later and ever since they were inseparable. They loved to play fight and clean each other. They frequently passed the time by looking out the window together. I know Matty misses him very much too.

Before Rusty got sick, I used to say he was like a dog. After I parked my car, I would see him in the back bedroom window. By the time I got to the back door, he was right there to greet me.

Rusty also had his favorite toys. He found a lot of pleasure in two furry mice and a white furry ball. He’d make weird predatory sounds, a sign that he was having lots of fun. Every morning, before I went to work, he’d pace in front of the closet in the dining room, where these little toys wound up. You see, he’d throw one of those things around, chase after it and wedge it in the space under the door where he would then spend several minutes trying to get it back out, only knocking it back further in. So I would open the door and he would come looking for it. I usually found it first, so I would throw it deep into the living room. He ran, then pounced and the routine started again.

The adorable picture of Rusty on the blue couch followed me through college. I thought of him often and it made me a little homesick. I used to have a poster in my dorm room, “All I need to know in life, I learned from my cat.” I don’t have it anymore, but I remember there being some cute sayings, like: “Life is hard, then you nap” and “Curiosity never killed anything, except maybe a few hours.” I learned this and much more from Rusty.

Rusty was very special in many ways and he is sorely missed. Our home is just not the same without him, but I seek comfort in all the memories he made for me. There’s a saying: “Cats leave paw prints on your heart forever.” Rusty’s will always have a special place in mine.