<img src="http://d300axti28xnob.cloudfront.net/17687343/xYxYMTLRGn3j.jpg"><br /> <br><br><br /> <br /> This is Mimi, perhaps the site's favorite Long Haired Silver Tabby. I know Ala is a dog site, but I hope to keep her memory live here anyway. She's my wonderful little girl who stuck by me for more than a year and a half now and has never let me down. It breaks my heart that now, I have to leave her behind.<br /> <br /> Her story, as written by me on her profile:<br /> <br /> Mimi’s past is one of recognition not because of any horrific events or troubling abandonments, but because she came from humble beginnings and had a smooth transition into my home.<br /> <br /> Mimi was well taken care of in a small pet shoppe with her brothers and sisters and both her mother and father. For her first few weeks of life, Mimi began like all other kittens to explore and experience the world around her. Her eyes opened just a few days after her birth and she was as healthy as could be, thanks mainly to the kind shoppe keeper. Born in the late summer, Mimi found great comfort in the warm sun at the front of the area where she was kept. She found a particular liking to the brightly coloured toys in her pen and enjoyed the many people who came into the small shoppe during open hours.<br /> <br /> It was the time when the leaves slowly began to change to show signs of fall that I entered this shoppe. New to the area, I decided that I wanted a companion to share my experiences with in this new place. As I walked through the store, many of the dog breeds caught my eye, though nothing all too grabbing. I then headed to the other side of the store to where the cats resided. Siamese, Orange Tabbies, Himalayans, and many other types of cats of all varieties came to the front of their pens to greet me. They all looked so at ease and like wonderful potential pets. As I made my way back up the aisle towards the front of the shoppe, I saw a slightly larger pen with a family of gray cats. As I approached, I was taken aback by the beauty of the cats’ fur and eyes. The kittens, not more than two months old, were full of life and I couldn’t help myself but to smile. Two curled up next to each other in one corner, while one chased a small toy in the other. However, a single kitten caught my eye. She approached the side of the pen, head slightly turned looking at me. She had striking Tabby markings on her face and a dark nose. Her chest and the area under her nose was a snow-white color and the tips of her ears twitched, alert. Looking up at me, a tiny “mew†came from her petite mouth.<br /> <br /> Slowly, I reached in and picked her up and held her close to my face. The purring that came from her small body was relaxed and soothing. I placed her on my shoulder as a quiet giggle escaped from my lips. Cheerfully she lay on my shoulder, her tail dangling down the back of my shoulder blade. As I turned, I sought out the shoppe owner.<br /> <br /> “It appears that my mind has been made up for me. This one doesn’t seem to want to let go,†I said with a smile.<br /> <br /> And with that, I found myself returning to that shoppe many times a week to buy more pet beds, decorations, toys, and supplies for my new kitten. After much deliberation, I decided to name my small fur ball Mimi, which she fervently agreed to. As I brought home new things for her, she seemed more and more content. Hours we would spend on the floor of her room as I threw her various mice and cat toys and she excitedly chased after them and pounced as they tried to escape her.<br /> <br /> It was the nights that may have been the sweetest times from my new kitten. I would place her on her favourite pillow and tell her good night. I’d leave, back into my own room, though knew I need only wait a few moments…<br /> <br /> Then slowly, very slowly, I would hear the creak of my door as it widened open and a small figure entered. I’d wait, very still. From the side of my bed, a graceful, shadowy creature would appear, proud of her leap from the ground far below. Yes, just wait a few more seconds… She would then curl up right at my stomach, tail wrapped around her body. Sometimes, I was not sure if she took comfort knowing I was there, or if she was protecting me from the loneliness I so feared, but either way, I never did try to put her back into her own room. She was my little Mimi and I knew from that first moment I saw her in the pet shoppe that I could never love a single pet more than I would come to love her.
