Willie holds a special place in my heart. He’s my “first born” and my “first love”. He was such an amazing cat.

I rescued him when he was around six weeks old. He was starving and I stole him out of my step-brother’s yard. My brother and his family were neglecting him. He was thrown outdoors to fend for himself because he had been chewing up the baby’s bottle nipples.

When I got him to the vet, the doc said it was a good thing I took him when I did, he was starving, less than a pound, close to six weeks (which meant he had been taken from his mama and litter mates at less than a month old) and would have starved within a few more days.

He grew though. And his hair grew. And his tail! it was so long and bushy that my uncle mistook him for a raccoon.

I used to walk him on a leash to take him to my grandparents for Sunday dinner. My grandfather loved that cat and often tried to talk me out of him. Others did too.

He was laid back. Cool. And big! All fifteen pounds of him under that long hair. He wasn’t pedigreed but he was clearly a Maine Coon from all the descriptions I read.

He began turning white in 2006. A few hairs here and there. I didn’t think anything of it. Then one day I picked him up and discovered he’d lost weight. A lot of it. He felt like half the cat he used to be. I took him to the emergency vet clinic and learned he had FIV and Felv. It would take thousands of dollars just to treat him to give him a little more time with us. He had stopped eating and was severely dehydrated. We didn’t have thousands of dollars and I made one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to. And I couldn’t even stay while they did it. I couldn’t handle it. I was weak and I will always regret that.

Willie was cremated and he sits in a box on my bedside table. I know–it seems a morbid. Maybe even sick.

Oh how I loved that cat. Still do.”

I remember the day Ammie shared that her boy Willie passed over the rainbow bridge. I remember shedding a tear for Ammie knowing how hard it was for her to say goodbye, and how much he meant to her. I have secretly always wanted to paint Willie’s portrait for her, so I am glad to finally have that opportunity.

Will post Willie’s portrait on Monday, along with the Week #7 call for entries.