my cat reincarnated

When my sister was born in 1985, I guess I was a little jealous. So my parents got me a cabbage patch doll, which I named Andrew. But that didn't work for long. And then, about 6 months later, they decided to get a kitten. Well.. dad decided to bring home a kitten that had been hanging out the construction site all week. Mom didn't really want another cat. For a while she thought my sister was allergic. But she wasn't, and the kitten stayed.

And he became mine. At 4, I didn't care about naming a male cat a feminine name. He was to be called Madison, after the main character... a mermaid... in my favorite movie at the time, "Splash". Over the years, Madison would follow me around everywhere. He slept on my bed at the bend of my legs. He would run up to the driveway when I got dropped off after school. He would purr at my legs whenever he heard the sound of a can opener. And he didn't mind being dressed up in doll clothes. When I left for college, he was 14.... and he slept in my bed, mourning my absense for a month.

The day after christmas two years ago we lost Madison. He was 18, and couldn't eat or walk. His liver was giving out on him and the vet told us it was only a matter of days. As we took him to the vet to be put down, I held him and he purred. He hadn't eaten in days and yet he still was purring because I was holding him. I loved him like no other pet, at least, until my cocker spaniel Lilly came along. Even then, she is different because she is a dog.

I always said I would never get another cat, because Madison was special. Then, yesterday, I met Ruben, a cat that I swear looks like it could be Madison reincarnated. He belongs to Michelle, a photographer I work with who is staying at my house for a while. And he loves to be held in a little ball and be lugged around. And he has that same fluffy tail. Maybe getting another cat wouldn't be such a bad idea afterall. But, then again, the man I plan on spending my future with, Mr. Goatee, is allergic. Perhaps Madison will have to be my only cat afterall.