Five years ago, our home was pleasant enough, but entirely too neat and definitely too quiet. In an effort to inject a little controlled chaos into our lives, we decided to adopt a kitten from our local animal shelter.
As soon as we saw him, we knew he was the one. He was a magnificent dark gray tabby with handsome green eyes. One of a litter of five, he was entangled in a sea of black fur, which turned out to be three of his siblings. We took turns holding him to make sure that we were a good fit. We both felt an immediate bond with our new friend.
Even though we had made our choice, we couldn’t help noticing that there was anther kitten from the same litter, nervously sitting by herself in a corner of the cage. We felt strangely attracted by her tentative demeanor, so we decided to get to know her as well. Now we were officially in love. Times two!
That’s how we ended up with a brother sister duo that we named Smokey and Bandit. They did everything together. Bandit quickly took the dominant position to Smokey’s submissive, yet very feisty, role.
They grew… and grew. Big, by cat standards, Bandit weighed in at 18 pounds, and Smokey at 12 pounds, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on either one of them. If you happened to catch Bandit out of the corner of your eye, you might mistake him for a small dog. We received many compliments about his amazing natural beauty. Gorgeous he was, but one would never accuse him of being graceful. All the more reason to love the cat we affectionately called our big “galumph.”
As the years passed, they more than fulfilled their duties as keepers of chaos.
Cat hair, spilled food, and scratched furniture replaced the neat and tidy interior of our home.
Bandit was the town crier, always making noise of some kind or another. An unusual cat, he would spend hours nestled in Jake’s arm, positioned like an infant, while we watched television at night. We never regretted our decision to bring home these two lovable pals.
Exactly five years later, quite unexpectedly, we lost our beloved Bandit. Our still young, strong cat succumbed to a bladder infection, just 48 hours after his first symptom. We were stunned and grief-stricken.
Smokey immediately displayed signs of depression. She sat without moving most of the day, and ate little. The rest of the time she spent vainly searching for her lifelong companion. We worried about her well being and considered bringing home a new kitten, to take her mind off her troubles, but our hearts were not yet ready.
When Bandit left, the chaos went with him. Once again, our home was lacking that extra lifeblood we needed.
Several weeks passed, and Smokey began to adjust to her new life in a single-cat home. She became increasingly vocal and adventurous. We began to realize just how dominant Bandit was, and that her less than sociable behavior was a result of her place in the hierarchy.
With new found confidence, Smokey has become a very active member of our household. Her vocalizations fill the air and she has blossomed into quite a handful! Chaos has returned, thanks to the newly crowned queen of the manor.
Bandit will always be with us in spirit. I still picture our big galumph, patrolling the house and checking in on his sister. Meanwhile, Smokey carries on, doing double duty as the keeper of chaos.
