Oreo - Best Cat in History

Today I break from my normal posts about photography to pay tribute to the coolest cat ever to walk this earth. Our dear cat Oreo died yesterday, April 24th. His passing was quick and he died with his head in my hand - the last gift I could give this dear cat that will always be one of the best friends I ever had. I lack the skill with words to properly convey all that was Oreo but I owe him so much joy and feel I must try.

My brother Gary found Oreo on our driveway 2 1/2 years ago in the middle of winter, freezing and on the verge of death. He was only a few days old but we immediately knew that he was special and we couldn’t bear the thought of not making him a part of our family. We nursed him back to health but found out that he was FIV positive – the feline version of the Aids virus.

The vet warned us that our time with Oreo may be short and that we should seriously consider whether or not to keep him but there was no question in our minds, Oreo was already a member of our family. He had to be segregated from the other cats because of the virus and therefore moved into the basement. The basement is the part of the house I call home so Oreo and I spent countless hours together.

We quickly discovered that Oreo was not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he played fetch just like a dog. Throw a piece of paper and Oreo would run and grab it, bring it back and drop it by your feet, and then nudge your foot until you picked it up and threw it again. Oreo was ultra affectionate. He loved to jump on my lap, wait for me to rock back in my office chair, and then fall asleep lying on my chest. Occasionally he would stretch out and lick my face as if he was saying “I love you.” He would follow you around, always wanting to be with people. He rarely misbehaved and when he did, it was out of innocence. You couldn’t help but smile whenever he was around. He was everyone’s absolute favorite.

At just 2 years of age, the FIV virus has stolen Oreo’s life but it cannot steal the amazing memories that we all have of Oreo. All who knew him can say without hesitation that his or her life was richer because Oreo was a part of it. As hard as the pain of this loss is (I can’t seem to make the tears stop flowing), those 2 years with Oreo have been worth every tear. To Oreo I can simply say thank you for bringing us such joy. You were quite simply the best friend any human could ever ask for.