Casey was the first, the official adoptee, the queen
With commanding eyes of greenest-green
A burgundy nose and white chinny-chin-chin
Long white whiskers and secret tabby abdomen
She came to me at 8 years old
Kicked out of her home, as I was told
The most precious friend I would ever have
She ruled the roost and taught me all about cats
I called her Sergeant on her demanding days
But I wouldn’t have changed any of her ways
We were together for a mere 6 1/2 years
I never thought I could cry so many tears

It seems Buddy was the lynch-pin of the neighborhood homeless
He’d run through the yards chasing all the winged creatures
Full of ideas, he never ran out of them
The unsuspected ringleader, if I’d only known then
Because I was gullible when he showed up bum-legged
In he came, 6-month quarantine, got his own bed
Tubby little guy, with lots of spunk
Started sleeping on my pillows, with his foot-stompin’ gunk
So clever, he wrote his own blog for sport
I Can’t Control My Human; full of routine home reports

Earl Grey was Buddy’s best friend outside
So, of course, he helped Buddy convalesce inside
This is where Buddy’s master plan unfolded
One by one through the door, the colony rolled
With the softest white fur, a smattering of grey
Mr. Grey was so loving, we could nap all day
Tucked in my arm like a little teddy bear
He became a snuggle coach for the others in there
“Our human is not to be feared in your eyes
Jump up on the bed, cuddle-in, socialize”
He had lots of ailments, with corresponding prescriptions
You’d hardly ever tell, with such a sweet disposition
When finally he went, we all felt the heartache
If it weren’t for the others, I just knew I would break

Little Mama was the most petite
It didn’t seem right that she wasn’t also sweet
She hissed and would bite and in the corner she hid
But that all changed when Mr. Grey got her up on the bed
What a brave little snuggler, this muted calico became
You’d never know she’d been living in the storm drains
She’d raised her daughter there, the sweet Nissa-cat
But Little Mama got sick, and she was gone in a flash
Taken too soon, we all felt the loss
Though watching her evolve had been well worth the cost

Georgie was amongst the neighborhood strays
He’d hop up in my arms and show his loving ways
“There’s no way you don’t belong to someone,” I said
But I never found anyone to claim him, and offered another chance instead
Off to FOHA he went, and into the cattery
But it changed his personality, what a catastrophe
Thankfully, in a separate room, he showed his true self
Certainly he’d be adopted now, no longer on the shelf
“Such a sweet, adoptable cat, too bad for his diabetes”
So I would visit him weekly and sing to him sweetly
Finally, when he was nearing his end,
I brought him back home, my precious furry friend
I never gave up on him, but had hoped for the best
He’s with me now and forever, along with the rest

I’ll never forget Miss Lydia Kitty
In her day, there’s no doubt she was absolutely pretty
One of the FOHA un-adopted seniors
At the end of her days, she got her wish answered
I brought her home, so clearly ill
But she had a lot of spunk in her still
She knew she was home, and took full advantage
Defying all the safe boundaries, she pursued the best vantage
Light as a feather and on the brink
She insisted on water from the bathroom sink
Though only a solitary week in my care
It felt like her love and presence had always been there

Blackbeard was a pirate of hearts
He came and he went from homes and yards
But one day he showed up with his ears all bloodied
I knew I had to help him, though I didn’t have the money
FOHA assisted and he became a poster child of outdoor cats
He’s still on their website, if you think to look for that
But after fundraising and contributing hands-on to his care
Fostering him at my house proved my heart had room for one more
Of all the rough & tumblers that came across my threshold
This beautiful black longhair was a companion to behold
My big black teddy-cat Patchy, I loved him so well
In return with me he walked, talked, and snuggled
He had many scary health problems, but he persevered
Over and over again through the years
What a strong, resilient fellow, was my Blackbeard
Such a desperate feeling, when the day came I’d feared

Nissa, now there’s a cat amongst cats
While outside, Little Mama showed her all this-es and thats
My car horn would beep and out of the sewer she’d emerge
To walk me to the front door telling me all that she’d heard
Then I began to work from home
So daily off to the mailbox together we’d roam
What a great little friend, full of besties chatter
With a gorgeous long coat of browns and black spatter
She was the last of the bunch of kitty outdoorsies
Then winter threatened and her new ID read: indoorsie
She’s outlived her mother by more than half a decade
Diabetes is claiming another very sweet maid

Buddy has the greyest of grey fur
And he surpassed the rest with his strong, persistent purr
We were in our new house when his cancer diagnosis was made
He’s lived another year and a half, never losing his sense of play

Only Buddy and Nissa remain of my precious friends
The first and the last in the door, interesting bookends
They’re feeling each others’ pain, I can see it in their eyes
Their desire to be together and commiserate over maladies
It won’t be long now, most of the miracles have been played
But I’ll never regret all my sweet furry friends who’ve stayed
It’s the end of an era, seventeen years in the making
This house will feel so empty, there’s no mistaking