Since the beginning of time my grandparents had cats, and every summer there was a new litter of kittens wandering around the yard. You had to be pretty fast and willing to go under bushes and all manner of places in order to catch one. And one summer when I was about 7 we caught one and just didn't let go. He rode from Yamhill, OR to SLC, UT mostly on the dashboard of our van.
He's always loved my dad the most. He would sleep on his stomach as a tiny kitten and just preferred him. Like any thing that comes into our house he was never really called Patch, but has always been Sugar, "Sug", "Sug"y etc.
Most people didn't know, because he was afraid of anything that moved, that he was the softest cat ever. His fur was silky and very smooth. He also couldn't really meow or purr. His meow was more like a mah and his purr sounded like a small motorcycle engine that was stalling.
"The mathematical probability of a common cat doing exactly as it pleases is the one scientific absolute in the world" - Lynn M. Osband
The only thing that ever "called" his name was the can opener or shaking of a treat bag. When he was in a cuddling mood he always had to lay on your arm in just a certain position so you could scratch his chin. He often looked out the windows just to see what was going on. Then his tail would flick wildly when a bird got too close or something moved unexpectedly.
Like every cat seems to, he had at least 9 lives. He was run over by a car, breaking his hip. Been in several cat fights. He was later bit by a dog and shortly after that jumped out of an upstairs window. He survived a lot.
When I lost my Max he was there for me. I couldn't resist giving him treats every time I saw him. He was always in my room and he was a great comfort.
And yesterday morning we said goodbye to our Sugar. We will miss you a lot kitty boy!!
"What greater gift than the love of a cat?"
Charles Dickens
