Cameron

I met Cameron in February of 1999. For almost nine years, Cameron Shae (Cammie) was a lap kitty. He usually lay in my lap while I worked at the computer. He liked o sleep on my hand at night, or lay on my side or chest. In the last month we shared, he started sleeping next to my head and face on the pillow. He loved having his chest rubbed and would tighten his paw around my hand and move my hand where he wanted to be scratched. We often went to sleep with his paw resting on my hand. He would lie and look at my eyes endlessly. The last morning of his life, he was still looking in my eyes with his paw on my hand. When you can see love in another’s eyes, you know it’s true. He was very nurturing and liked to wash the head of every cat that shared his home. When I brought a third homeless cat to our house, Cameron and Phoenix immediately licked the stranger’s head and they were friends for life. Cameron and Phoenix and I went for walks together for years, up until two weeks before Cameron’s death. People were amazed that the cats would follow closely on the sidewalk and cross in the crosswalks. Cameron was more talkative than most cats and talked throughout our walks. In his younger days, Cameron would carry his lease in his mouth and run the last few yards into the back yard. Cameron loved watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and tuna. He was the “keeper of the water bowls” and would sit in front of the empty bowl staring at it to get me to refill it. He also had a passion for lying on the TV remote. If it was missing, 90% of the time, it was under him so he occasionally changed stations, etc. He loved lying in the sun and spent about eight hours in the backyard on his last full day with us. One of his favorite resting places was in the catnip in the backyard. I buried him by it at sunrise when dark gray-blue clouds were splashed with the color of watermelon. A flock of Canada geese flew over toward the sun as the sky changed to white clouds edged with sunlight. Then a single goose flew over going west as if to symbolize one going on in a new direction alone. Thanks to Cameron’s many years of devotion and companionship, my life has been richer, happier, more loving and worthwhile. Cameron Shae is an example of why some people say animals are angels on Earth and why I philosophically gave him the name of “Peace.” –Deidra Smith