We lost our lovable, wonderful Harry two years ago today. TWO YEARS. I can’t believe it…
It’s strange because it doesn’t feel like two years. It seems like it was just yesterday when Harry came into our lives and immediately made himself at home; he just fit into our little family so perfectly from the beginning — almost as if he was a missing puzzle piece that completed our puzzle after my father’s death. My mother always says that our little orange tabby needed us and we needed him and that’s so true. We were, indeed, the perfect match for each other.
In fact, I was thinking just this afternoon about the impact little Harry had on my life and you know what? He’s the cat that turned me into a Cat Lady — capitalized, of course, because that distinction is a proper title, after all, isn’t it? I’m actually surprised that I didn’t come to this realization sooner. Before Harry waltzed into our lives (and, yes, he did have a sort of jaunty waltz to his step!), I wasn’t much of an animal person at all. I guess I was a dog person if I had to choose, but I was most certainly NOT a cat person. Cats didn’t have personality, I thought. If you’d seen one cat, you’d see them all, right? They’re aloof and unfriendly and, well, sort of boring. Yes, I know now just how prejudice that type of thinking is! Cats, it turned out, were FULL of spunk and pizzazz and I have Harry to thank for helping me see the glorious light of what happens when you welcome a cat into your life and, maybe more importantly, into your heart.
I mean, not to sound too cheesy, but so many wondrous and enchanting things happened in our lives because of Harry and I hope he knows just how much he meant to all who knew him. He was the most charming, but also wasn’t afraid to give some side-eye at your shenanigans! He’ll always hold a very special place in our hearts and we’ll miss him forever. As we always said, “He was a good boy.” Yes, indeed. He was the very, very best boy.
Do you have any pets, friends? What’s your favorite story of life with your beloved animal friend?? Pets truly are life-changing and I’d love to hear all your stories in the comments… xoxo
P.S. My essay for Redbook from 2016…all about Harry’s awesomeness!
Family Photos: Harry, the cat model
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Wynne says
Fur babies are the best! They provide unconditional love and help us through tough times in life!
I am a fellow Cat Lady too!!
Lindsay says
Hi Melissa I loved your cat story; I’m almost 70 now and apart from about 2 years of my life I have always had cats. I am without one now as my last cat, Jasper, died a few weeks ago aged 14, and at the moment I am not sure whether to take on another one. I must have had about 50 cats over the years and no two have ever been alike – they have all been completely individual little characters. The most unusual cat I ever had came from the Isle of Man in 1997 and I had her for 15 years. The Isle of Man is a small island in the Irish Sea between the mainlands of England and Ireland, and the cats which are indigenous to the Island are distinctive for the absence of a tail. I was camping with my family on a farm over there in September 1997 where there were many cats about the place, and “Biddy” (as we came to call her) came around scrounging for food, in fact she was starving and we took pity on her, as not all the farm cats got fed. When our holiday came to an end we asked at the farm whether we could bring her home with us and they said we could. I had often said that I would love to have another Manx cat to find out whether her characteristics were the same in all Manx cats or whether she was a “one off” – and I’m rather inclined to believe that she was a one-off! I could write a book about her. Even though she died 8 years ago I still think of her, expecting her to pop in through the cat-flap at any moment or launch herself on to my bed in the middle of the night!
Melissa Lyons says
Hi Melissa,
This is Melissa 😉
I love following you and your stories. I wrote a book called ‘Until We Meet Again, From Grief to Hope After Losing a Pet’.
I grew up on a farm and didn’t realize the pain I had hidden somewhere in my heart after losing so many animals over the years.
I would love to send you a copy of my book, if you’d like one. There is actually a YouTube video of me reading the entire story. It’s about hope and love more than anything and it is written from the perspective of a pet, so it is very heartwarming and special.
Wanted to share. XOXO Melissa
Carol N Wong says
I was not a Cat person, we had Happy Day. A tuxedo cat, exceptionally smart, she was amazing.
Lannah says
Oh my, Harry reminds me a lot of my dear Oliver. We lost him just over a year ago. He was the best cat I’ve ever had in my life. Curious about everyone and everything, super tolerant and snuggly, loved to be spanked on his butt, lol. Loved food, too. We adopted him when I was 15. He died at 12 years due to heart disease that was misdiagnosed for asthma. (But, it is super hard to catch, so we aren’t faulting the vet. He lived a good, long life… all things considered. My little butterball baby. He was also an orange tabby, just like Harry.
Image: https://i.imgur.com/zeS6heb.jpg
Dulcinea says
Hi Melissa. Harry sounds like he was an amazing friend. My youngest had an adorable white and orange tabby named Alani. I was NEVER a cat person, but Alani was the most cuddly, sweet and friendly cat I had ever encountered. A few days ago, my daughter had to give her away due to being pregnant and could no longer be around cats. Although she only had her for one year, within that year, Alani made a very lasting impression!
Joyce says
Hi Melissa,
I cried when you lost Harry and I too can’t believe it’s been 2 years already. He seemed like the nicest, sweetest cat ever and I loved every single photo of him, especially the ones when your mother had him in that outdoor rocking chair! You’ll always carry him in your heart.