On my birthday, 18 August, 1985, I was broiling fish for lunch. I wrapped the remains in paper and opened the front door of my apartment to put it in the garbage chute. Sitting at my door was an orange tabby cat, about a year old, looking like he had just rung the door bell and was waiting for me to answer. He looked well-fed and cared for, so I invited him in and fed him a piece of fish. While I went out to throw the garbage down the chute, he used my potted palm for a litter box and curled up on the sofa for a nap. There was no curiosity about the rest of the apartment. I assumed that he belonged to one of the other tenants, so i posted a notice and waited for someone to claim him. No one did. It always remained a mystery how he got to the top floor of an apartment building, through a fire door to my front door at the back of the building. He and my other cat, Slash, became companions and kept each other company for almost 14 years. His favorite food was steamed asparagus. Leo never complained, always used his scratching post and litter box, he was always happy and, until his cancer diagnosis, was never sick. He was, simply, an ideal cat. I miss my boy.
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On my birthday, 18 August, 1985, I was broiling fish for lunch. I wrapped the remains in paper and opened the front door of my apartment to put it in the garbage chute. Sitting at my door was an orange tabby cat, about a year old, looking like he had just rung the door bell and was waiting for me to answer. He looked well-fed and cared for, so I invited him in and fed him a piece of fish. While I went out to throw the garbage down the chute, he used my potted palm for a litter box and curled up on the sofa for a nap. There was no curiosity about the rest of the apartment. I assumed that he belonged to one of the other tenants, so i posted a notice and waited for someone to claim him. No one did. It always remained a mystery how he got to the top floor of an apartment building, through a fire door to my front door at the back of the building. He and my other cat, Slash, became companions and kept each other company for almost 14 years. His favorite food was steamed asparagus. Leo never complained, always used his scratching post and litter box, he was always happy and, until his cancer diagnosis, was never sick. He was, simply, an ideal cat. I miss my boy.
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